What I Like About You
by Gemini Artemis
Summary: The demons are back and want revenge, but things don't go as they planned when some of the siblings get involved with humans and a new enemy is after them. First chapters under heavy editing.
1. Jade's Return

**Author's note:** I have decided to replace the older chapters for rewritten, improved ones. In order not to mess up with the order and the number of chapters, I'm keeping their original length, although I nowadays prefer them at least 5000 words long. If the quality drops dramatically all of a sudden, it's because you're reading the unedited parts.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything here but the plot and the original characters.

* * *

_**Prologue**_

Eleven years had passed since the incident with the Oni masks. Jade had gone back to Hong Kong some months after that and everyone assumed the Dark Hand was gone forever. Thus, Jackie did not have to keep working for Section 13 and could continue his research for the university.

Tohru was not a magic master yet, but already was quite experienced. Uncle was still the same, always yelling and whacking Jackie and Tohru for one reason or another. His nephew thought he was crankier when it took Jade too long to come visit them.

Moreover, Jackie had married Viper. At first, Uncle had not found a good idea to let them stay at his shop, even if temporarily, but had eventually given in. The couple had a son called Jack, who had the same hair and eyes colours as Jackie, tanned skin like Viper's, and a great potential for martial arts. As well as his father, he did not love adventures; he preferred to have a peaceful life – to Jade's dismay.

Except for a few incidents during Jackie's archaeological work and confusions caused by Jade, life was calm again for the Chan family. Jackie really hoped that everything would continue that way and that they could live in peace at last.

But why did he have the feeling that this peace would not last much longer?

* * *

– **CHAPTER 1 –  
******

**_Jade's Return_**

Jackie and Uncle were studying some artefacts at the library. Viper was on a mission in New York and Tohru was visiting his mother in Japan, so Jackie was practically the only one left to take care of his son.

That was why he could not concentrate on his own research. He looked at the clock; Jack should already be home. Jackie could not help but worry. After having gone through so many unusual situations and having faced all the types of enemies, he had become a bit paranoid.

The bell rang, announcing that someone had just come in. Jackie immediately stood up and hurried to the entrance. He was relieved to see it was his son, safe and sound, but was at the same time mad at him. Jackie knew that when Jack was late, if it were not because of something supernatural, it could be only one thing: problems in school.

"It's about time! What did you do this time?" Jackie asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"But, dad, it wasn't my fault!" Jack responded almost automatically.

"Right. Have you ever noticed it's never your fault?" Jackie said, frowning. The boy lowered his head and was silent. "So, what happened this time?"

"It was that new girl. I tried to talk to her, but I think she was on a bad mood. She pushed me, I defended myself, and then –"

"And then you were caught," Jackie finished with a sigh.

"Uh... Yeah. And now they want to talk with you again. But that's unfair, because they don't even want to talk to that girl's parents too. They thought I was viciously attacking the poor, defenceless little girl..." Jack sarcastically said, rolling his eyes. Jackie sighed again.

"Jack, how many times have I told you that you cannot fight at school? I guess Jade really hasn't been a good influence on you..."

"But –"

"No 'buts'. Now go to your room."

Jack reluctantly went upstairs, but then smirked slightly without his father noticing.

"No problem. The laptop is in my room, anyway," he murmured to himself.

oOo

Jack accessed the internet and typed the password to his e-mail account. He was not surprised to see a message from Jade, but at the content of the message.

_Hi, Jack!_

_Just wanted to let you know that I'll be paying you guys a visit this week! But don't tell anyone, 'cause I wanna make a surprise, k?_

_Love, Jade._

For a moment, the boy could just stare at the screen of the laptop. He then buried his face in his hands and fell backward on his bed.

"Oh, no... Not again!"

**To be continued...**


	2. Jack's Worst Nightmare

– **CHAPTER 2 –  
**_**Jack's Worst Nightmare**_

Jade had already left the airport. She was now in a taxi, heading to Uncle's shop, calling her parents to tell them that she was fine and had arrived in San Francisco. After a brief conversation with her mother, she turned off her phone and eagerly looked to the window. The city had changed a lot during all these years, but it still brought her that feeling of nostalgia. So many exciting things had happened to her here...

Then, she noted a small snack bar and asked the driver to stop. She was starving and was afraid that there would be only mung bean sandwich or something with garlic in Uncle's shop. It was safer to get there after having eaten...

The taxi stopped and Jade gave the driver some money before getting out. She entered the snack bar, bought a hamburger, and then continued her way on foot. She was not far away from the shop, anyway.

Meanwhile, she began to recall the old times. It had been a while since they had faced any criminal organisations, powerful demons, dark chi wizards... Life had become way too calm, and she did not like that. She preferred lots of action, exciting fights, and unforgettable adventures around the world.

On top of that, Jade had another problem; she had never had a boyfriend. Perhaps it was because all the boys she knew thought she was crazy or a liar for telling all those stories about magic. She herself never liked anybody enough to have a date. In fact, she had never cared much about that sort of thing, but even she had to admit she was getting old. Suddenly, Paco came to her mind. She hadn't seen him in a long time, either...

She was so lost in her thoughts that she ended up bumping into a little girl who was standing on the middle of the pavement, angrily pressing some buttons on her cell phone. Jade managed to keep her balance, but the other girl fell to the ground.

"Ow!" she yelped.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was –" Jade started to say, offering her hand to help her get up. However, the girl stood up by herself.

"You idiot! Why don't you look where you're going?"

"I said I'm sorry! You don't have to be so rude!" Jade snapped. But then, she got the feeling that she had already seen that girl. Her hair was pale blond, almost white, and was tied in a ponytail, and her eyes were blue. By her accent, Jade believed she was British. She vaguely reminded Jade of someone...

"Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?" Jade asked, bending down to take a better look at her and try to remember. The girl stepped back, glaring at her.

"I don't think so," the girl answered coldly. "Now get out of my way. I'm in a hurry and I don't have time to waste with losers like you," she said, pushing past Jade as well as a ten-year-old could manage. Jade stared at her retreating form in annoyance.

"Arrogant brat!" she muttered and turned around to continue her own way, deciding to forget it. She was happy for coming back and should not – would not – let anything or anybody ruin her day.

After fifteen minutes walking, she finally arrived at Uncle's Rare Finds. She stood there for a moment, just observing the shop, which had not changed one bit.

She took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Hello, guys!" she shouted happily. Uncle and Jackie, who had been reading ancient books, immediately put them aside to greet her, looking very surprised, but also glad to see her.

"Jade! It's so good to see you!" Jackie said, hugging his niece. Uncle smiled.

"So that is why Jack has been acting so strange..." he remarked in a low voice.

"That's right! Where's he?" Jade asked looking around maliciously. At that exact moment, Jack came from the kitchen, holding a glass of water. As soon as the boy saw Jade, he dropped the glass, widening his eyes.

"Y-y-you're... already here!"

"Hi, Jack!" she exclaimed cheerfully, jumping towards him and slipping her arm around his neck so that he would not run away. "So, how is my favourite little cousin going, eh?" she asked, teasingly rubbing his head and messing his hair.

"Gh... help...!" he said feebly while being smothered by Jade.

"You know, I'm impressed. You really didn't tell anyone I was coming!"

Jack managed to slip from Jade's embrace.

"That's right. I did my part, now you do yours and leave me alone," he asked, trying to brush his hair back to normal.

"Tch. Yeah, you wish," she whispered so that only he would hear. She then turned to her two uncles. "Oh, I missed you so much! I brought some souvenirs from Hong Kong and-" She stopped and glanced around. "Huh? Where are Viper and Tohru?"

"Viper is on a mission in New York," Jackie answered.

"And Tohru is visiting the Spider-Woman," Uncle finished, smirking.

To Jackie's surprise, Jade did not look upset. On the contrary, she was smiling.

"Alright, then. I don't really intend to leave any time soon..." she murmured. Jack heard her and gulped.

"What did you say?" Jackie asked.

"Nothing," Jade replied innocently, smiling cheerfully again. "I'm going to Section 13 now. You coming, Jack?"

"Do I really have a choice?" Jack asked unenthusiastically.

"No, you don't. You're grounded, remember?" Jackie said, but was whacked in the head by Uncle.

"Let him go with her! Jade won't leave us alone if he doesn't go," he explained. Jackie frowned, still not liking the idea, but then sighed in defeat.

"Oh, all right. You can go with her," he said. Jade grinned and Jack stared at him, looking as though he had just been sentenced to a terrible punishment.

"Thanks!" Jade said in victory and grabbed her cousin's wrist.

"But... But..." he stuttered while he was dragged out of the shop.

Jade closed the door and stopped when they turned the corner.

"Please, let me go, let me go! I don't want to go with you!"

"Oh, stop whining! Don't think I actually want to go with you to Section 13!" she said, letting go of him. Jack looked at her in surprise.

"You don't?"

"No. You're too boring, you have no adventure spirit," she admitted. "But I couldn't leave you there, grounded, all by yourself, now could I?" she continued, lightly tapping his head.

But he was not grateful; he just looked suspiciously at her and didn't say a word.

"Oh, you're so tense, especially for one your age. Just like Jackie. You need to relax, do some nonsense sometimes."

"I always get in trouble when I follow your advices."

"That's because you need experience. But get ready, because this time I came to stay."

Jack froze. "W-what do you mean? You didn't come just to visit us? What, then?" he asked almost in desperation.

"It's none of your business," she replied, looking annoyed. Now it was Jack's turn to smirk.

"Alright. I'll find out sooner or later anyway. Besides, my dad will want to know too, and you can't hide anything from him."

"Hmph. We'll see."

**To be continued...**


	3. Section 13

– **CHAPTER 3 –  
**

_**Section 13**_

"Jade? Is that you?" Captain Black asked in surprise.

"Captain Black!" She ran to hug him.

"It's so good to see you again. I confess that Section 13 is not the same without you."

"It's very boring in Hong Kong too. Everyday is the same routine, nothing interesting ever happens..."

"So, why did you come here earlier this year? Missed San Francisco that much?" Black asked while walking beside Jade in Section 13's corridors.

"That too, but there's something I want to ask you, that's why I came here."

"Well, what is it?"

"Hmm..." She glanced at Jack, who was coming right after them. "Talk later, I have to get rid of him first," she whispered to Black, carefully gesturing at the boy. Augustus immediately understood and turned around.

"Jack, Vinicius is here in Section 13. Oh, and I think Alice is, too. Don't you want to play with them?

Jack smiled. "Sure. Where are they?"

"They must be in Kepler's laboratory or in my office," Black answered smiling. Jack hurried to the laboratory, and Captain Black and Jade looked at each other, grinning.

"Well, what did you want to ask me?"

"Captain Black, do you remember that you told me I could be a secret agent here when I grew up?" she asked hopefully and he rubbed the back of his head.

"Did I?" he confirmed unsure and Jade frowned.

"Yes! And Jackie heard it too!"

"Yeah, maybe I did..." he said, still not remembering.

"It doesn't matter. The point is that you still recognise my skills, right?"

"Right..."

"So, I want to be an agent, like Viper!"

Black thought for a while, which made Jade a bit angry.

"You're too young yet, Jade. I don't know if it'd be possible to give you such an important position here. Maybe, if you accept to start with smaller works..."

"What? No! That'd be _so_ boring!" she complained.

"I thought you'd say so."

"It's not fair! I came from Hong Kong, from the other side of the world, just for this, and you reject me?"

"Look, I can try to talk with my superiors. They may require a mission as a test to see how you do."

Jade smiled again.

"Now we're talking! And how long will that take?"

"Not much, I guess. Some days, at most. You have a place to stay, don't you?"

She shrugged. "Only until Viper and Tohru come back."

"Tell me, have you already told Jackie about this?"

"No, I wanted to surprise him. But since it's going to take some time, I'll have to come up with an excuse."

"It's all right, Jade. You're skilled and clever, I'm sure you'll be approved," he said, smiling at her.

"Thanks." She smiled back. "Anyway, I'm going now. Bye!" she quickly said, turning around and hurrying to where jack had gone.

oOo

Jack was playing a board game with Captain Black's children. One of them was Vinicius, a red-haired boy with green eyes who was one year older than Jack and his best friend. And there was also his twin sister, Alice. She had the same colours of hair and eyes, but was a bit shy.

Jade abruptly entered the room, making Jack flinch.

"Hi! How are you all?"

"Jade! At last!" Vinicius said with a wide smile playing on his face and running to hug her. "You're my salvation! You're the only one who can break into Section 13's vault!"

"You go, then." Jack said, crossing his arms. "I knew Jade was going to try something when she got here, and I told her and I wouldn't come with her."

"Then you two go and I'll stay here with Jack so that he won't be alone," Alice timidly suggested. Jack flushed slightly; she was always so thoughtful and nice to him...

"Whatever," Jade replied, shrugging. She knew that Jack had a crush on Alice. Sometimes, she imagined how cute they would be as a couple in a couple of years.

"Come on, Jade! Let's go!" Vinicius called her, pulling her by the wrist. Jade smiled and the duo rushed out of the room, leaving Jack alone with Alice.

"So, how are you, Jack?" the girl asked to start a conversation and put an end to the awkward silence.

"Terrible. Jade will end up getting me in trouble again, I just know. I think she's up to something... Besides, there's this girl in my class who won't stop bugging me."

"A girl?"

"Yeah, she's new. It seems that she has just moved from England. She's not very nice, thinks she's so much better than everyone. She picks on me the most, for some reason."

"Maybe she likes you," Alice suggested.

"Likes me? She hates me!"

"Some people are too shy to say they like someone, or just don't know how to express their feelings. Then they pick on that someone, because they think that's the only way to attract their attention."

"But I don't think this is the case. I'm sure she does hate me."

"Hmm... Have you done something wrong to her?"

"I just tried to make friends with her... You know, to be nice." He sighed and shook his head. "But let's not talk about bad things. So, any news?"

"Oh... yes..." She suddenly blushed. "Did you know that there's going to be a dance in our school... next month...?"

"Yes, I did," he answered, also blushing.

"I know it's still early to ask this but, but... who are you... going with?"

"I... err... well..." He could not answer, which made her nervous.

"I-I see... It's okay. It's none of my business who you're going with, I was just –" she quickly said, but was interrupted by Jack.

"No, it's not that. It's just that... I'm... not sure yet..." He looked away.

"Oh."

"What about you?"

"Nobody has asked me yet. Maybe it's too early."

He looked fondly at her. "Don't worry. Someone will invite you for sure," he tried to comfort her, but in all honesty, he did not want any other boy invited her. _He_ wanted to be the one to go with her. He just didn't have enough courage to ask her out yet...

oOo

Jade broke into the vault with usual ease and took a glance around. Everything was in the same place as it had always been. The vault's security had been reinforced several times, but she still could easily invade it.

"Hey, Shendu. I'll have to borrow some of your talismans again, okay?" she said in amusement, waving towards his cell.

Jade could hear his angry hiss and smiled, turning to where lay the talismans. There was a vial around them, but Vinicius had made it all easier, since he had told her the password to open it. She typed a sequence of numbers and letters on the keyboard beside the vial. When it lifted, Jade took the snake, the rooster, and the ox talismans.

She kept them in her pockets, pressed a button to make the vial go back down, and carefully got out of the vault. She used the snake talismans so that nobody would see her and ran to a small room, where Vinicius was waiting for her.

The boy noticed her arrival when the door opened and closed apparently by itself. Jade turned visible again and showed him the three talismans.

"Here you go. Have fun."

oOo

It had been almost half an hour since Jade and Vinicius had left and Jack still hadn't been able to ask Alice out. She was silent as well, waiting for him to say something.

But all their hopes were gone when Jade came in, smiling triumphantly.

"I got the talismans!" she announced.

"Very good, Jade!" Alice complimented, making Jack grimace.

"Alice, you shouldn't congratulate her for doing something wrong!"

Jade frowned. "What's wrong about borrowing something? Besides, I have the right to take them any time I want. I risked my life more than once because of them, you know!"

"Aww, I'm so jealous of you, Jade," Vinicius' bodiless voice commented, scaring Jack and Alice. "I wish I could have fought demons, dark chi wizards, ninja masks, and all that cool stuff, too!"

"V-Vinicius? Are you here?" Jack asked. His friend immediately appeared next to Jade, holding the snake talisman in his right hand.

"Invisibility. It's one of my favourite powers," the red-haired boy stated. Then the door opened and he quickly hid the talisman in his pocket. Jackie came in, getting innocent looks from Jade and Vinicius.

"Hi, Jackie," the duo greeted.

"Jade, what were you been doing?" he asked in suspicion.

"Nothing, I was just talking with the children," his niece answered. He sighed, deciding not to insist. "I came here to get you and Jack to dinner. Uncle said he has something important to tell us."

Jack sighed in relief; the longer he was with his father, the less likely it was that Jade would drag him into another suicidal adventure.

The three Chans said goodbye to the twins and left Section 13. However, instead of going back to Uncle's Rare Finds, Jackie took them to a different way.

"Eh? We're not going back to Uncle's shop?" Jade asked curiously.

"No, Uncle is waiting for us in a restaurant," Jackie replied.

"Which restaurant?" Jack wanted to know.

"Panda-Hanten," his father answered happily.

"Oh, no! Not a Chinese restaurant! Why do you always take me to a Chinese restaurant when I come from Hong Kong? I want some spicy, Mexican food!" Jade complained loudly.

Jack pointed at her and laughed. "It serves you right!"

"Shut up."

* * *

**To be continued...**


	4. Jade and Jack to the Rescue

– **CHAPTER 4 –**

_**Jade and Jack to the Rescue**_

"But, Jackie! Jack is boring! He never wants to go with me anywhere and doesn't like to do anything fun!" Jade protested while they were eating _soba _at the restaurant.

"That's because you are a troublemaker!" Jack accused.

"Aiyahhh! Stop arguing! Uncle already has a biiiiiig headache!" Uncle complained.

"It's not my fault that you don't think about anything else but research," Jade remarked.

"But, Jade, I only want you to take Jack to school. After that, you can do whatever you want," Jackie said.

"That's no fun! Why do I have to babysit Jack? You know, I really need a better partner in crime. Someone who is just like me, who likes adventures, and doesn't have such an _overprotective_ dad," Jade said, looking pointedly at Jackie.

"You say that now, but when you have children, you'll understand," he said calmly.

Jade snorted. "I don't think so. I don't even want to think about having children any time soon, anyway," Jade answered.

"Jackie..." Uncle interrupted with a serious tone and everybody looked at him.

"Yes, Uncle?" his nephew responded.

"About that strange dream I had –" he began, but was interrupted by Jade.

"Dream? What dream?" she wanted to know.

"Uncle had a strange dream last week. Something to do with a magic pendant that somehow would cause us many problems," Jackie explained quickly, sounding like he didn't really care about it.

"Tch! So what? It was just a dream. You shouldn't take it seriously, Uncle," Jade assured him, smiling and rolling her eyes.

"I have been researching, but the only thing I found was a picture in one of my books." Uncle continued, ignoring Jade's comment. "It was the pendant I saw in my dream, but there wasn't much information about it, only that it is very ancient and can be used as a key to open any type of door, padlock, or vault that is magically sealed."

"What do you think it means? And how could you have dreamed about something that actually exists even though you had never seen it before?" Jackie asked in confusion.

"I don't know, but I'm afraid we will know very soon," Uncle muttered gloomily.

oOo

Jade sighed. She was with Jack on the way to his school and really wished she were in any other place doing any other thing. Nothing exciting would happen now and, though she had found it impossible, she was even more bored than before at the moment. But what could she do? She should have expected her uncles to make her Jack's babysitter.

They were walking side by side, in complete silence, when Jack suddenly came to a halt and watched something on the other side of the street.

"Jade, look!" he said, pointing at an alley. There was a little girl who should be about the same age as Jack. It took Jade a moment to recognise her; she was the conceited brat she had bumped into when she had arrived from Hong Kong. Jade narrowed her eyes in suspicion as she saw three men with her and, judging by the girl's expression, she wasn't pleased with her current situation at all.

"It's Julia!" Jack said, surprised.

"Who's Julia? Do you know her?" she asked.

"She's that new girl I told you about."

"Oh, the one who fought you?" Jade tilted her head. "What's she doing with those guys?"

Jack shrugged. "I don't know, but it sure doesn't look good."

Jade nodded. It looked like those men were robbing or kidnapping her. She frowned. Sure, the girl was arrogant and antisocial, but she was just a child.

"C'mon. Let's go help her," Jade proposed, unable to suppress a smirk. _Now_ things might get more interesting. Jack, on the other hand, didn't like the idea very much.

"Are you kidding? We can't fight them! We're outnumbered, and worse, they must be armed! Besides, I gotta–" Jack barely finished his sentence and Jade was already crossing the street and running towards the building next to the alley. Jack hesitated a bit, but decided to follow her.

As nimbly as her Uncle Jackie, Jade climbed up the windowsills on the small building – fortunately, the windows were not far from each other – until she reached the alley side, careful not to make any noise. Jack was right after her, having a harder time climbing.

Jade stood on the fire escape stairs. She couldn't understand what the men were talking about, but she had the feeling they were quite angry. She tried to go down a little more and still couldn't hear them clearly, though she did understand some sentences when they spoke up.

"That's it! You will take us to your father, or else we'll kill you right here and right now!" one of the men shouted, losing his nerves. Julia crossed her arms stubbornly.

"Forget it. I won't help you!" she snapped, trying to look audacious, but Jade thought she just looked like a spoiled child disobeying her parents. Jade chuckled silently and got a bit closer to the scene.

"Don't think this time will be like before. We know where your father's enforcers are; they won't come to save you this time," another man said, pulling a gun out of an inner pocket on his jacket. He aimed it at her and Jade didn't think twice; she leapt from where she was and kicked the armed man in the face.

"What the –? Hey, who are you?" he asked after recovering from the hit.

"She must work for her father!" the third man guessed.

"It doesn't matter! Get her!" the other ordered and the three men charged at her.

Jade smiled and leapt forward to kick the first man in the chest and when landing on the ground, she tripped another man. Next, she hit the third man several times and then punched the one who had just got to stand up in the stomach.

Jade did a somersault backwards and grabbed a pipe near a corner. Two of the men tried to attack her again and she hit them with it as if it were an actual weapon. They fell to the ground, dizzy, though not really unconscious yet.

"Freeze, or I'll kill the girl!" a voice was heard behind Jade, who turned to see the remaining man aiming his gun at Julia's head while grabbing her tightly around her neck.

Jade stood still for a while, considering what she should do now, but, suddenly, Jack leapt from where he had been hiding and kicked the man just like Jade had done at the beginning. Jade took advantage of that moment to move that thug away from the two children and the gun. The other two stood up with difficulty, and then they all glanced at each other.

"Let's get out of here!" one suggested. The others promptly agreed and they all ran away as fast as they could.

Jade smiled in victory, threw the pipe away, and clapped her hands to get rid of the dirt and dust, turning to Julia. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Julia answered. Jade waited for her to say something else, but the little girl was completely silent. Jade frowned; she could at least have thanked her.

Jade cleared her throat. "My name is Jade Chan, and this is Jack Chan, my cousin."

"I believe we've met before," she said rather coldly, glaring at Jack. The boy returned it, but looked away when he saw Jade's warning look, sulkily crossing his arms.

Suddenly, he remembered, "Jade, I'll be late for school!"

"The school! Gosh, I forgot it completely!" Jade exclaimed, slapping her forehead. "If Jackie finds out that you were late because of me, he'll eat my liver. Go, Jack, run! Maybe you still can get there in time!" she said quickly, pushing Jack. The boy nodded and left hurriedly. "I'll see in you when your classes are over!" she shouted. He waved his hand to indicate he had heard her.

Julia left the alley and took the same way as Jack did, but very slowly. Jade walked with her side by side.

"Hey, shouldn't you go a little faster? You'll end up getting late too," she warned her.

"It's all right. I was late almost everyday in London," Julia murmured, avoiding Jade's gaze.

"Are you an exchange student?" Jade asked to start a conversation, after a moment of uncomfortable silence.

Julia hesitated. "No. I moved here just a few days ago," she answered carefully.

"Where do you live?"

The British girl looked so annoyed and suspicious that Jade decided to let the subject drop, muttering a quick, "Oh, never mind, then. Geez." After a pause, she said, "Well, I think I better be going, then. I have some things to do in Section 13 and stuff. You know hot to get to school, don't you?" Jade felt uneasy when noting that Julia was finally looking at her in the eyes. Her sky-blue eyes were slightly calculating, as if realising something about Jade. The Chinese girl also found that look a little familiar.

"Of course I do," she answered with an almost sickly sweet smile. Jade forced herself to smile back and waved.

"Um, okay. Bye, then."

Julia didn't reply. Jade turned around and walked away. When she glanced behind, the little girl was nowhere to be seen.

"What a weird girl."

* * *

**To be continued...**


	5. The Talismans

– **CHAPTER 5 –  
**_**The Talismans**_

When Jade looked away and kept going on, Julia got out from behind the dustbin and narrowed her eyes as she warily followed the woman. Jade Chan. She had heard many stories about the Chan family, but had never believed even half of them. However, after witnessing Jade Chan's exceptional martial skills, Julia began to wonder if all those stories weren't really true. If they were, then...

If they were _all_ true, maybe she had a chance. It would be the answer to all her problems.

Walking so calmly in the streets of San Francisco, Jade didn't look special at all, but just another ordinary citizen going out for a morning walk. Yet, Julia was sure she had heard her mention she was going to Section 13. There was no mistake.

About fifteen minutes later, Jade went in an alley. Keeping a safe distance, Julia wondered why she would go to such a place. There was nothing in it but dustbins, rubbish sacks, and an apparently broken phone box.

Then, to her surprise, when Jade entered the telephone box, a hole appeared on the wall. It was so fast that, in the blink of an eye, Jade was already gone.

"Of course," she murmured to herself, approaching the phone box. "It's a secret base, after all."

It was ironic that the entrance to the authorities' base was in the middle of rubbish in a dirty alley while so many criminals' headquarters were luxurious buildings.

But how would _she_ get in? Even if she used the telephone box, there were probably many agents on the other side. In this case, her arrival would not go unnoticed and her plan would be ruined. If only there was any other way in, a more subtle way...

She looked around, seeking inspiration for an idea. When her gaze idly ran along the wall, she sighted a door almost at the end of the alley. She ran to it and opened it. Inside, she could see a flight of stairs leading down. They led her to another door, which she opened just enough to peek at what was on the other side.

She gasped. Several stern-looking people with an air of importance, most wearing either suits or lab coats, transited busily through a very large room. There were huge computer screens and panels and other strange devices everywhere. She really was in Section 13!

She waited for a woman to walk past her, then other two men who were too busy reading papers, before deciding it was safe to come out of her hideout. She gazed around in amazement, until she heard steps and hurried to hide behind one of the strange machines.

"Aw, Jade, do we really have to?" asked a red-haired boy.

"Yes, Vinny," replied Jade with a long-suffering sigh as the duo walked past Julia. "Jackie won't leave me alone until I return the talismans. Now go to Kepler's office before you dad sees you. You know you should be at school by now."

"Oh, all right, then," he said, sounding disappointed.

The boy turned left into a corridor while Jade went on forward. Return the talismans? _Those_ talismans?

Now this was Julia's lucky day.

Very cautiously, Julia followed Jade, quickly hiding every time someone else approached. In time, her surroundings got more and more deserted and she allowed herself to relax a little.

Jade stopped before a huge vault's door, inserted a card in a panel and typed some numbers to unlock the door. Inside, she pushed more buttons on yet another panel and turned off the protection around a vial in the centre of the vault. She then stepped closer to it, lifted it with another button and grabbed one of the small objects that had been kept in it. A real talisman!

She sighed, "Oh, well. Uncle Jackie told me to bring them back. But it's okay. If everything goes as planned, I'll have plenty of time to have fun with you."

Grinning, Jade put the talismans back, then took three more from her pockets and also put them in their respective places. She stepped back and stared at the talismans for a moment longer before pushing the button to get the vial back down. Julia had taken this moment of idle contemplation to sneak around behind her, so that Jade wouldn't be able to see her when she turned to go.

Jade left the vault and Julia hurried behind the vial, lest Jade turned back towards the vial when closing the door. She also noticed that the protection on the floor was still off. Only when she heard the door closing with a heavy thud and absolute silence taking over the vault did she relaxed. She peeked from behind the vial to make sure no one was there and stood up. The protection on the floor was _still_ off.

Her eyes shone when she saw the talismans. All the twelve of them were there, each one with an animal from the Chinese zodiac painted. Her father and his enforcers had told her all about these artefacts. As unbelievable as it seemed, she now had the chance not only to look at them close up, but also to touch them and see if they were really magic.

Her stretched out hand hit the glass of the vial and she started, as though she had woken uo from a sort of trance. Suddenly, she realised the mistake she had just made. She had been so eager to get to the talismans that she'd forgotten about Section 13's security. Even if she found a way to break through the vial – which was most unlikely –, how would she get out of the vault? Not to mention the security cameras! I, fact, now that she thought about it, it was a wonder alarm sirens weren't ringing already and she wasn't surrounded by agents.

"Blast!" she muttered to herself, regretting it as soon as she realised what she had said. She was beginning to sound like her father. She couldn't stand the fact she had been picking up his habits.

"Who is there?" came a hissing, demonic voice, making her jump and let out a scream.

She turned around abruptly to face a sort of dark corridor whose entrance was blocked by thick bars. She narrowed her eyes to see what kind of creature lurked in there and paled when she saw a pair of glowing red eyes.

"W-who are you? _What_ are you?" she asked, frightened. Little by little, her eyes began to adjust to the dark, enough for her to see what looked like a round, golden dragon statue. "You are... Shendu?"

"Ah, so you have heard of the powerful Fire Demon? I am flattered."

Realising she wasn't facing any imminent danger, for there was nothing a talking statue could do besides talking, she calmed down. "Not so powerful, are you? You're just a statue, locked up in the vault of a government's secret organisation, behind bars..." she said in a casual tone. Ignoring the demon's angry hiss, she went on, "Defeated oh-so-many times by puny mortals..."

"Foolish child! you don't know what you are talking about! Liao Su was aided by powerful magic, and was lucky he –"

"Liao Su?" she interrupted, frowning in confusion. In truth, she had never heard that name before. She decided to test him, "You mean yet _more_ mortals kicked your arse? Who else? Let me see..." She pretended to think hard. "Oh, a senile old man, some fat traitor guy, a ten-year-old girl..."

The demon's eyes glowed more brightly in his fury, but then, he half-hissed, half-snorted, seeming to find something amusing.

"I see. It figures. I did feel something familiar in you... You are _Valmont_'s offspring," he spat the name as if it were a curse.

"No, I'm not," she automatically denied. He chuckled.

"Yes, you are. I can feel it clearly now. Besides, you not only look and speak like him, you have the same attitude; same arrogance, same insolence..."

"I'm nothing like my father!" she yelled, petulantly hitting one of the bars with a clenched fist. Only when the echo of her shout faded did she realised what she had just admitted. She looked away in frustration and cursed herself.

"An obstinate _child_, indeed," mocked Shendu. When he refused to respond, he asked, "What are you doing here, anyway? Don't you know your father is wanted by Section 13?"

"I came for the talismans."

"Why?"

"None of your business."

"Well, it doesn't matter, for your plan has failed. You got in here, but you didn't think of a way to get out, did you?"

She looked away again, humiliated and angry at herself for being so stupid.

All of a sudden, Shendu's tone turned from mocking into almost friendly. "How about we make a deal? You set me free and I shall get you out of here and take you to safety."

"How would I get you free?" she snapped.

"With the talismans, of course. I know the password to open the vial. The rest is too easy."

"But I want have the talismans!"

"You can keep them after we escape."

Julia glared at him. She might be a child, and sometimes not think of certain details – like a getaway plan _before_ getting in a vault –, but she wasn't gullible. Living amongst criminals had taught her to see when someone was trying to deceive her. Her father had told her that Shendu needed to absorb all the talismans to take his true form. That was what the demon wanted her to do; to give him the talismans.

She doubted that Shendu would give her the talismans even after they left Section 13, for then he would just become a statue again, making his escape pointless. Who did he think he was fooling? Just because her father had fallen for this didn't mean she was that dense.

She glanced at the talismans and at the door. She could pretend to accept Shendu's proposal and, when he gave her the password, just use the talismans to open the door by herself and leave him behind.

On the other hand...

She could almost see an imaginary lamp materialising above her head. Maybe having Shendu about could come in handy, after all. It would certainly save her some time and effort.

"Keep the talismans," she told him sharply. "I know you need them to stay in your true form. Father told me about that too." Shendu's eyes glowed again. Before he could say anything, she went on, "I'll set you free. But only on one condition."

He hissed, considering his options.

"Name it."

* * *

_**To be continued...**_


	6. Shendu is Free

Unfortunately I'm very slow. The demons would be freed only in chapter 11... Because of that, I edited all the chapters starting from this one so that they will become longer. I hope you don't mind...^^" Oh my, now I have to edit my original version too, or else I'd be even more confused when updating...  
  
Well, I hope you like this chapter. Thank you for the reviews!^^ Oh, by the way, both Jack and Julia are almost seven years old.  
  
*****  
  
Chapter 6: Shendu is freed  
  
After inserting the last talisman, Julia stepped back. Shendu's body began to shine and he took his true form. Julia had to close her eyes, since they were still used to the darkness, and she couldn't see what he looked like very well.  
  
"Finally, I am free again! Now I can take my revenge on Jackie Chan and that cursed chi-wizard."  
  
"If you leave in that form, they'll soon go after you.", Julia remarked and Shendu thought for a while. She was right. Of course everybody would notice that he wasn't in the vault anymore sooner or later, but if he was disguised he could get away and think of a plan without being disturbed by mortals.  
  
Julia heard a noise as if something was creaking, shrinking. Suddenly, she couldn't see his red glowing eyes anymore. She looked at her right side and with the light behind her, she could see that Shendu had taken a human form. He walked to the bars and opened a larger passage from the one opened by Julia. When he approached of the center light, Julia could see pretty well what he looked like in his human form.  
  
He looked like a young man who didn't seem to be more than thirty years old. He had golden hair and Julia couldn't see the color of his eyes, since she was behind him. When Julia began to follow him, he turned invisible. She stopped and just stared at the vault's entrance. She really wanted to go with him, but it was obvious that he wanted to stay alone.  
  
She heard steps of somebody running and she looked for some place to hide. But before that she saw that it was Jade who was coming. She sighed in relieve.  
  
"Ok, I'm back.", Jade said smiling and panting.  
  
"Finally. You took a long time.", Julia snapped. Jade looked at where the talismans were supposed to be.  
  
"Julia, where are the talismans?", she asked a bit worried and Julia flinched.  
  
"Uh, remember when you said that always take the talismans to have fun outside? So, I wanted to do the same thing. They are here in my backpack.", she lied and hoped that Jade didn't want to make sure that it was true.  
  
"Alright then. Let's get out of here before somebody sees us. They'll soon notice that the security camera is turned off and understand that I've invaded the vault again."  
  
Julia sighed in relieve and nodded. Luckily the vault was dark and Jade hadn't seen the destroyed bars.  
  
~/~/~  
  
"Are you still going to sleep at my home tonight?", Julia asked while they walked in the pavement.  
  
"Sure. But first let's have some fun with the talismans. Don't you want to know how the talismans work?", Jade propose and Julia flinched again.  
  
"Uhn... You know what? I'm very tired now. I think we should go sleep.", she said simulating a yawn. Jade shrugged.  
  
"Ok. We can play with them tomorrow."  
  
"Yeah...", Julia murmured lowering her head.  
  
"Where's your home?", Jade asked glancing at her surroundings.  
  
"It's not far.", Julia answered and made a serious face.  
  
"Listen, Jade. I promised that I wouldn't tell where is the Section 13, then you also have to promise that you won't tell anyone where I live.", she demanded.  
  
"No problem.", Jade answered doing a positive sign.  
  
They crossed three streets and then arrived in an apparently normal building that probably had fifteen floors.  
  
"Only the members of the Dark Hand live here. And there's also a 'business area'.", Julia remarked. Jade felt a bit uneasy by knowing that so much criminal people were living there, but she promised not to tell anyone.  
  
"Are you sure that nobody will recognize me?", Jade asked in worry.  
  
"Yes, I am. They traveled with my father or went to some bar. Anyway, they won't disturb us."  
  
"Where did your father go?"  
  
"It's none of your business.", Julia snapped.  
  
The two girls went up to the 14th floor and entered in an apartment in the end of the corridor. Jade observed it carefully. It was big and there were several valuable objects. There were also many photos of a blond woman. Her hair reached her shoulders and her eyes were green. Jade picked one of the photos.  
  
"Who's she?", Jade asked.  
  
"My mother.", Julia answered while trying to hide her backpack so that Jade couldn't try to find the talismans during the night. Luckily Jade was very busy looking at the photo.  
  
"Would you like something to eat?", Julia offered.  
  
"No, thanks. Let's sleep already.", Jade said still observing the photos. They were countless, and in the room there was a shelf with several dictionaries and books. Jade took one of the books and read some pages.  
  
"What are all these books?", she asked curiously.  
  
"Almost all of them are books of Chinese legends and tales. I just looove the Chinese culture. In fact, my favorite animal is the Chinese dragon. And the other books are Chinese and German dictionaries."  
  
"I understand why you want to learn Chinese, but German?", Jade said returning the book.  
  
"Oh, didn't you know? My mother was a German spy."  
  
"Wow, cool! I bet she looked like Viper."  
  
"Viper?"  
  
"Jack's mom.", Jade said and noticed that Julia shook her head as if she was trying to move away some uncomfortable thought.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing. Let's go to my room.", she said angry and left clenching her fists. Jade raised a brow.  
  
"Did I say something wrong?"  
  
Jade followed Julia and entered in her room. Julia was holding an alarm clock.  
  
"I'm going to set the alarm clock for six in the morning. I know it is kind of early, but my father will be back at seven.", Julia explained and Jade nodded.  
  
Some hours later, none of the two girls had managed to sleep yet. Julia seemed quite uneasy and that made Jade worry.  
  
"Julia, is everything alright?"  
  
"Actually not, I have to tell you something.", Julia answered after a long while. She seated and sighed. Jade frowned both confused and curious.  
  
"It's about the talismans.", she said glancing at Jade.  
  
~/~/~  
  
The telephone rang five times. Jackie was very tired after so much research and didn't bother to get up.  
  
"Jackieeeee! Answer the telephone now! Uncle cannot sleep with all this noise!", Uncle shouted from his room. Jackie stood up and sighed. There was no point in discuss with Uncle. He noticed that the only way to sleep in peace again was answering the phone. He went downstairs and walked slowly to the phone.  
  
"Hello.... Oh, Captain Black.....", he murmured half-sleeping.  
  
"WHAT?! Impossible! Are you sure?", he asked aloud. It seemed that the shock had wakened him up completely. Jack went downstairs rubbing his eyes.  
  
"What happened, dad?"  
  
"I'll be there.", he said hanging up.  
  
"What's going on?", Jack asked again without really worrying. Jackie shook his head.  
  
"It couldn't be worse.", he said wearing a coat. Jack stared curiously at him. Jackie sighed heavily trying to calm down and turned to face his son.  
  
"Wake Uncle up. We have an emergency."  
  
~/~/~  
  
"YOU WHAAAAAAAT?!", Jade yelled not believing.  
  
"But... But why did you do that, Julia?"  
  
"There's no point in explaining. You'd never understand.", Julia said calmly. Jade was in panic, her hands in her head.  
  
"You don't know how he is dangerous!"  
  
"Shendu? He didn't seem so dangerous...", Julia said thoughtfully.  
  
"Shendu? Oh yeah, he's dangerous too. But I was talking about Jackie! What will he say when find out? Oh, I don't want even think...", she said closing her eyes with her hands.  
  
"Relax. He doesn't have to know that it was your fault."  
  
"Are you telling me that it was actually my fault?!"  
  
"It was your fault. You took a crime lord's daughter to a vault of Section 13. That was irresponsible, I would say...", Julia said sarcastically. Jade felt like throttling her.  
  
"Calm down. They know that you wouldn't free Shendu, so they'll think that it was another person's fault.", she continued. Jade thought for a short while. Of course, it was impossible that somebody suspected that she could have done that. She was safe! Jade sighed in relieve.  
  
"Of course you would be much more convincing if you were there in Section 13 right now sleeping with Captain Black's children, as you said you'd be. Probably they have already noticed that you aren't there and are wondering where you are..."  
  
Jade's face turned pale. Now she had to think of a very good excuse. She left running as fast as she could, leaving Julia alone in her room.  
  
~/~/~  
  
"I don't get how he could have escaped...", Jackie murmured.  
  
"Hmph, it was obvious that he wouldn't stay there for a long time. This day would arrive sooner or later.", Uncle said crossing his arms. He, Jackie, Captain Black and Vinicius were heading to the talismans vault.  
  
"This is very strange. The security was maximum, there was no way to enter.", Black said in frustration. Vinicius snorted.  
  
"It wasn't that maximum. Jade invades it all the time."  
  
"But Jade already knows quite well the vault's security.", Jackie said.  
  
"Here we are.", Black said opening the vault's door.  
  
"We don't know who had been here because the person who did it had turned off the security camera.", Black explained. Jackie glanced at him in surprise.  
  
"Then it wasn't Jade. She doesn't know how to do that.", he said.  
  
"Not just the camera. The door's lock and the alarm in the ground too. And then that person bended the bars that were imprisoning Shendu and they escaped."  
  
"Maybe the person who did it had used some sort of magic.", Jackie guessed.  
  
"A wizard? Yeah, it is possible.", Black agreed.  
  
"No, it seems that the only magic used here was the power of the talismans. I need to make a magic sensor first, but almost certainly the invader is a normal human.", Uncle said as he observed the whole vault. Jackie and Black glanced at each other.  
  
"It must be somebody very skilled. Our security equipment is unique. Only some of our most loyal agents know how to deal with it., Black said in deep thought.  
  
"What if it was a spy?", Jackie asked.  
  
"Well..."  
  
"Aiyahhh! Who has freed Shendu is not important! What we have to do now is to find Shendu.", Uncle interrupted.  
  
"You mean that now we are dealing with real demons? Cool!", Vinicius said and Black frowned at him.  
  
"He really looks a lot like Jade.", he commented and Jackie nodded and then remembered of something.  
  
"Speaking of her, where's Jade?"  
  
Everyone's glance turned to Vinicius, who didn't know what to say.  
  
"She told me that would be sleeping here with you.", Jackie remembered.  
  
"Are you sure? I haven't seen her in a good while.", Black said.  
  
"So, she...", Black continued after a while. Jackie sighed.  
  
"Do you think she had something to do with this? But that's impossible."  
  
"Jackie!", Jade's voice was heard behind them. Everybody turned to face her.  
  
"Jade, where were you?", Jackie wanted to know.  
  
"I was having a good time at Blue Sea.", she said smiling. Jackie frowned at her.  
  
"What? I'm eighteen years old, remember?", she defended and Jackie shook his head.  
  
"Then you don't know what happened here, do you?"  
  
"Actually, I do. Alice told me when I came back."  
  
"Oh. Ok. So, what do you think?", Jackie asked.  
  
"Well, I have no idea of what the person who did it was thinking about?", she said honestly. And it was very true. She couldn't understand Julia.  
  
~/~/~  
  
The sun was beginning to rise. He stood in front of the shop's door and when tried to open it, quickly had to remove his hand from the doorknob as he felt a kind of shock. He hissed angry.  
  
"Good morning.", a very familiar voice was heard behind him.  
  
"Don't you know how to read? It is written right here 'closed'. Duh!", Jade said pointing to a sign in the door.  
  
He didn't answer.  
  
"Sorry, we are very busy right now. But you can come back within three hours.", Jackie said politely. The strange smirked.  
  
"I see. Well, I'll come here later then.", he said calmly and walked away.  
  
"He's so strange.", Jade commented.  
  
"Jade!"  
  
"Come on. We cannot stay here wasting time.", Uncle said.  
  
"But what can we do now?", Jackie asked.  
  
"We have only to wait. We don't know where Shendu is and I still have to prepare a magic sensor so that we can know if Shendu's ally is a human."  
  
"Shendu? He's here?", a voice was heard.  
  
"Tohru? You're back!", Jade ran to hug him.  
  
"Jade! How good to see you again!"  
  
"Tohru, you arrived in a good time. You'll stay here watching the shop while I go with Jackie to Section 13. Jade can tell you the details later.", Uncle said entering in the shop.  
  
"But Uncle, I wanna investigate with you.", Jade complained.  
  
"Jade, it's better if you stay here. It's safer. Uncle still didn't remove that chi-spell that impedes the demon of entering in the shop unless they're invited.", Jackie explained.  
  
"That one used to keep Hsi Wu away? I had already forgotten that.", she said and entered in the shop after Jackie and Tohru.  
  
And in the shop's roof, Shendu was watching them. He smirked, now he already knew how he could come in. But his method would be faster than Hsi Wu's.  
  
~/~/~  
  
Tohru was coming back from the market. He guessed that Jade had taken advantage of his absence to go to Section 13. But he was sure that she could take care of herself and wasn't in danger.  
  
When he approached of the shop, he saw a young man in front of the door. He had left Jade watching the shop and now it was obvious that she actually had gone away. If Uncle knew that the shop had been empty for a long while, he would be really at him.  
  
"Can I help you?", he asked.  
  
"Yes. I am looking for a book."  
  
"Sure. Please, come in.", Tohru said opening the door. The man smiled and entered in the shop. Tohru went right after him.  
  
"Wait just a minute while I take this to the kitchen.", Tohru said turning his back to him and heading to the kitchen. The man's eyes glowed red and he pressed Tohru's shoulder with his fingers and the Japanese man fell unconscious. The fire demon hurried to the library and began to leaf through some books until finding three that were about very old spells.  
  
Shendu ran away from the shop and smiled pleased with himself. He preferred to try to take the world and get rid of Jackie Chan all alone, but that would be very difficult and he needed help. His first option was to free his siblings, but before that he had to find out how he would do it - if he could do it. These three books were about portals and several ways to open them. After so many unsuccessful plans, this one had to work! 


	7. Julia is Kidnapped

Thank you for all the reviews!^^  
  
I finally changed my pen name! (Did everybody notice that? :P) You know that Gemini people like to change things often, and guess what? I'm Gemini! For example, I change my wallpaper everyday. Now, I got a kind enough of all my nicks (pen names, whatever), and probably I'll change it again someday! Muahahaha!  
  
Oh, I want to remind you that this fic's title is NOT a parody of a TV series called "What I Like About You"!!! When I was thinking of a title, I didn't know that there was that series. Grrrr, and on top of that, those JCA writers came up with that Shendu's son 3 days after I created his son! It's not fair! They almost ruined this fic's plot! ó.ò  
  
*a-hem* I also forgot to mention that Julia's mother's name is Sara Scarlet. Well, she's German, but I didn't know any German name or surname (for women), so I had stay with this anyway... Let's just say that her father wasn't German, he was from some another country (I think England would suit fine for him). You can have more details about Julia's mother in "Sky Shine"! ;)  
  
*****  
  
Chapter 7: Julia is kidnapped  
  
Uncle, Jackie and Jade were going back to the shop. Uncle had spent the whole day at Section 13 looking for magic traces and had detected only the power of the ox and the snake talismans.  
  
"So... that human used the power of the ox talisman to bend the bars and the snake talisman to get out of Section 13 without being noticed.", Jackie murmured thoughtfully.  
  
"Probably Shendu was the one who used the power of the invisibility, since nobody saw a big golden dragon around. But I don't understand how his ally has escaped. The sensor indicates that only one being used the snake talisman, which means that the human left independently.", Uncle continued.  
  
"The Section 13 has an emergency exit that only who works there knows about it. Maybe it was really a spy, after all.", Jade said.  
  
"But why would this spy do that?", Uncle asked.  
  
"Maybe someone of the Dark Hand...? No, that's impossible. Captain Black said that they disappeared two years ago. And even if they were still here, they'd never help Shendu again.", Jackie said in confusion. Jade was confused too. Jackie was right, they'd never help the fire demon. Julia helped him, though. She should be that last person who would do that. Her own father had been deceived and possessed by Shendu. There was no reason for her to free him. Or there was? Jade remembered that Julia had argued with her father. Revenge? No, Julia wasn't like that. She should have another reason.  
  
They arrived at the shop and Uncle frowned.  
  
"Aiyahhh! How many times do I have to say that you must to close the door?! Tohru!", he shouted but quickly stopped as he saw Tohru laying in the ground.  
  
"Tohru!", Jade yelled running and knelling down to see if he was alive. Jackie did the same thing.  
  
"He's just unconscious.", Jackie announced a bit relieved, although he was even more confused.  
  
"What happened? Knocking Tohru out is not something easy to get...", Jade said.  
  
"There's nothing wrong in the shop. Everything is in its place.", Uncle remarked glancing around himself.  
  
"We have to wait him to wake up.", Jackie said.  
  
~/~/~  
  
"I found it!", Shendu announced to himself. He was seated in a bench in a square, and had spent the last three hours just looking for something useful in the books.  
  
'According to this book, there's a way to open all the portals.', he thought.  
  
"But it's a very difficult spell. I need some ingredients, a pendant called Meng Hsie and... the Pan Ku box?!", he said in surprise. Shendu hadn't thought that he would need it again, and the worse: he couldn't touch it! He would need a human to carry it, but the most important now was to find the Pan Ku box. Where had he seen it for the last time...?  
  
Hak Foo! Almost certainly it was with him. Shendu knew where he lived seven years ago, but nowadays he should be living in another place. Shendu sighed. It was going to be very difficult to find him now. He raised his glance and saw a person who looked familiar. It was Valmont's daughter. She should be going home. He followed her hoping that he could find out where Hak Foo lived.  
  
Shendu didn't have to wait for a long time. As soon as they arrived at the Dark Hand HQ, he saw Hak Foo, who was about to enter in the building. He and the girl greeted each other and she entered while he stayed there trying to do a phone call.  
  
"Damn cell phone! Work already!", Hak Foo muttered angry. He saw a young man who approached of him.  
  
"What do you want?", he asked sharply.  
  
"Where is the Pan Ku box?", Shendu asked with his true voice and red glowing eyes. Hak Foo immediately recognized him and stepped back, taking a fight position. Shendu just stepped closer offensively.  
  
"I'm going to ask only one more time. Where is the Pan Ku box?", Shendu asked slowly.  
  
"I don't have it. I gave it to Valmont seven years ago.", Hak answered after a while. Shendu looked at the higher floor of the building. Certainly he would find Valmont or his daughter there. He left with no more words and Hak Foo wished more than never that his cell phone was working properly. He ran to the elevator. He knew that Julia was in danger.  
  
Shendu used the power of the rooster talisman and floated to the fifteenth floor of the Dark Hand HQ. He opened one of the windows and saw that it was just a vacant office. Then he thought that they should be living in an apartment below this one. He went down one more floor and opened another window.  
  
Now he saw a living room. Apparently there was no one here as well, but when Shendu was about to go down one more floor, he heard steps. Valmont's daughter came in the room, and immediately noticed his presence.  
  
"No way! Shendu?", she said in surprise. The fire demon entered in silence, facing the girl. Surprisingly, she looked very happy.  
  
"How good that you came here. I really wanted to see you again.", she said walking to him, smiling. Shendu didn't understand what she meant with that, and actually he didn't even want to know.  
  
"Listen to me, child. You are going to help me to free my siblings. I know that you have the Pan Ku box, and because I cannot touch it, you are going to be my slave from now on.", he said coldly and Julia's first reaction was just stare at him in surprise. Then she grinned eagerly.  
  
"Cool! Let's go then"", she replied.  
  
"And don't try to resis- What?", he asked in confusion.  
  
"I said that I like the idea. That means more time with you and less time with my father. I'm going to look for that Pan Ku box. I think I know what it is.", she said turning and rushed to a room. She came back some minutes later with the Pan Ku box. Shendu smirked pleased.  
  
"Now, hold it carefully. Don't drop it, understand?", he ordered and leaned on the other side of the window, ready to leave. He grabbed the girl and jumped to another building as he took his true form.  
  
Hak Foo entered in the room, but it was too late. He could just see the girl being taken away by the dragon.  
  
~/~/~  
  
"Ow, dude. Let's stop for a while. I need some drinks to relax.", Finn said rubbing his temples with his hands.  
  
"I have only one thing to say, never again I want to travel like that. By what I could see...", Chow said looking at his watch, "we should be in the Guiness Book. Altogether, we traveled for 60 hours in all type of vehicles, walked 200 kilometers and had 15 minutes of resting per day.", he said sounding very tired.  
  
"I just hope that Valmont never again come up with something like that.", Ratso said looking for a place to park. They stopped in front of a pub.  
  
Finn and Chow leaned on the car. Chow looked slightly upward and noticed a figure going over the buildings. It was big, but was very agile and didn't look too heavy.  
  
"What's that?", he asked pointing to one of the buildings. Finn e Ratso looked at that direction and saw a strange creature.  
  
"I don't know...", Finn answered frowning.  
  
"It is approaching of the pub.", Ratso said.  
  
Because the pub had only one floor, they could see clearly what the creature was and who it was carrying. The three stared openmouthed.  
  
"Wow.", was the only thing that Ratso could say.  
  
"Did you see what I saw?", Chow asked as they watched the demon going away.  
  
"Well, if you saw Shendu in the flesh jumping along the buildings of San Francisco with Julia and the Pan Ku box... then yes, we saw what you saw.", Finn said still very surprised.  
  
"We gotta tell Valmont.", Ratso said entering in the car. Chow and Finn followed his example.  
  
"Might not be a good idea. He already has too much problems. Are we going to say that his daughter was just kidnapped and the Pan Ku box stolen by Shendu and he probably wants to free his siblings again? That would just harm us all! You know what I'm talking about, don't you? Do you remember the last time?", Finn reminded.  
  
"You're going to leave Julia with Shendu?", Chow asked not believing. Everyone was thoughtful for a while.  
  
"What if we...", Ratso started but didn't finish the sentence. The other two men looked at him guessing what he was going to say.  
  
"Never mind..."  
  
"Ratso, you weren't going to suggest that we should rescue Julia, were you?", Finn asked.  
  
"Well, actually, I was..."  
  
"Ah, dude... We can't do that. If at least we knew how to fight or had a great fighter at our side..."  
  
At this moment, they noticed Hak Foo running to them.  
  
"Shendu's back and he kidnapped Julia.", he announced to the three enforcers.  
  
"You forgot to mention about the stolen Pan Ku box.", Finn said sarcastically.  
  
"You saw him too?"  
  
"Yeah, we were here deciding what to do now."  
  
"Let's go after them.", Hak Foo decided entering in the car and everybody nodded. Ratso quickly ran to the direction where the demon was going.  
  
~/~/~  
  
"Tohru, are you ok?", Jade asked when he opened his eyes.  
  
"What happened here?", Jackie wanted to know.  
  
"Who knocked you out?", Jack asked.  
  
"Quiet, let him breathe first.", Uncle shouted.  
  
"I'm fine.", Tohru answered a bit confused.  
  
"What happened?", Jackie asked again.  
  
"I don't remember very well, but I think that young man knocked me out.", Tohru said rubbing his head.  
  
"What young man.", Uncle asked in suspicion.  
  
"He was blond, had green eyes, he was almost as tall as Jackie...", he said slowly.  
  
"Was he a human?", Jade asked.  
  
"I don't know. I think yes."  
  
"Maybe he's the person who has freed Shendu!", Jade said turning to face Jackie.  
  
"It looks to me that this man is very alike to that one who was in front of the shop at dawn.", Jackie remarked in deep thought.  
  
"That's true...", Jade agreed.  
  
"But what did he want to do here?", Uncle asked.  
  
"He told me that was looking for a book...", Tohru said. Uncle thought for a while.  
  
"He could be lying, but I think we should take a look at the library.  
  
~/~/~  
  
Valmont had just arrived at the Dark Hand HQ. He sighed. Certainly Julia was still mad at him. Valmont hoped that she was still sleeping, so he also could rest after that stressing trip.  
  
He was surprised when seeing that the door of his apartment was open, and when he came in he saw that one of the windows was also open. That was strange, Julia didn't like open windows. Besides, there was no one here. After reviewing the whole apartment and not finding anything, he began to worry. What did it mean?  
  
He went up to the fifteenth floor. He had ordered that his henchmen should be waiting for him is his office. However, nobody was there and one of the windows was open too. Now he was sure that something was very wrong.  
  
~/~/~  
  
"I think they went that way.", Finn said pointing to the left.  
  
"No, I'm sure that they went that way.", Chow said pointing to the right.  
  
"I order you to go ahead.", Hak Foo said pointing forward. Ratso just stayed there, his hands leaned on the steering wheel. Suddenly, he turned to face the other enforcers.  
  
"Are you sure that they didn't disappear over there?", he asked pointing to behind them.  
  
"Ratso! How many times do we have to say it? That should have been some kind of optics illusion or something like that. How could they suddenly have disappeared?", Finn asked annoyed and Chow remembered something.  
  
"He's Shendu. If he was in his true form, he might..."  
  
"... have the talismans.", Finn completed after a short while.  
  
"And if he has the talismans...", Ratso started again.  
  
"...maybe he had used the talisman with the power of invisibility.", Hak Foo finished and they changed glances.  
  
"That's it. Let's go back.", Finn finally said giving up and the other enforcers could just nod. 


	8. The Meng Hsie Pendant

Most of you did not review for a long while! Reviews are the only thing keeping the author writing her fics and living happily! You want dead author? No? Then you REVIEW!

I still think that some characters here are OOC, mainly Valmont...

*****

Chapter 8: The Meng Hsie Pendant

Shendu carried Julia to a high and abandoned building. It was actually in good shape, except for the last floor, that was all destroyed. Julia glanced around herself.

"What's this place?"

"It's your father's old HQ. It was the only place that I could find. Now be quiet while I continue my research.", he said grabbing the three books that he had took from Uncle's shop and reading them. Julia walked around and found a room with a telephone. She approached of it and saw that it was still working. She took a piece of paper from her pocket and dialed the number that was written in it.

~/~/~

"Uncle, did you already find out which book has been stolen?", Jackie asked coming in the library. 

"Yes, and it wasn't only one book, but three books.", Uncle replied. The telephone began to ring. 

"I answer!", Tohru said going downstairs. 

"Hello?" 

_"Hello. Can I speak to Jade, please?"_

"Tohru frowned. For some strange reason, that voice looked very familiar. 

"Uhn... Who's calling?", he asked. 

_"Julia. Look, could you call her already? I'm in a hurry here." _

Tohru sighed. The way she talked also seemed extremely familiar. Maybe Jade could say who that Julia was. 

"Jade!", he called. She quickly went downstairs, with Jack. 

"Yes?" 

"It's for you. She said that her name was Julia. Who's she, after all?", he wanted to know. 

"A friend.", Jade answered. Tohru just looked at her in suspicion. 

"Friend? Here in San Francisco?", he asked. Jade never had any friend in America, and the fact that she has a friend now was really very strange. 

"Uh... Yeah. I think I had luck.", she answered nervously as if she knew exactly what he was thinking about and took the phone. When Tohru opened his mouth to say something, Uncle yelled from the library. 

"Tohru! Come here and bring tea to Uncle!" 

Tohru sighed and gave one more suspicious glance to Jade before heading to the kitchen. Jade sighed in relieve and frowned at Jack. 

"Go away!", she demanded and Jack snapped angry, and began to go upstairs. 

"Alright. I can hear her conversation with the extension. I bet that she doesn't even know that this phone has an extension.", he murmured to himself smirking. 

"Hello?", Jade answered when she made sure that nobody was around. 

_"Finally! Jade, you won't believe, but that cute dragon wants me to stay with him!", Julia said happily and Jade almost dropped the telephone. _

"Uh... 'cute' dragon? You're not talking about..." 

_"Shendu!" _

"Are you nuts?!", Jade asked in a loud tone, getting Tohru's attention. 

_"But-"_

"No 'but'! Don't you know how he can be dangerous? You have to get away from there right now and-", Jade stopped when seeing that Tohru was watching her. 

_"Oh, you really don't understand! For all my life I heard stories about Chinese legends related to dragons and about how my father and his enforcers had an extraordinary life with demons and magic stuff... I always wanted that to happen to me too."_, Julia explained. 

"But, Julia... Aren't you afraid of dying?", Jade asked in a low voice, trying not to care about Tohru's suspicious stare. 

_"Of course not. Besides, that doesn't matter. Who would miss me anyway?" _

"I would! We are friends, aren't we?" 

_"Sure, but you don't have to worry about me." _

"What about your father?", Jade tried again. Julia was silent for a while. 

_"He doesn't care about me. I have to go now."_

, she said dryly and hanged up. Jade was thoughtful for a while. It wasn't possible that Julia was angry at her father just because he didn't want her to stay at her home. Something more serious must have happened. 

Jade also hanged up and raised her glanced just to see that Tohru, Jackie and Uncle were staring at her seriously. Then she noticed that maybe her conversation had been very strange. 

"Jade, who's Julia and what were you two talking about?", Jackie asked. When Jade opened her mouth to answer, the telephone rang again. Jade stretched her arm to answer it, but Jackie moved her away. 

"No, I answer it. Hello?... Oh, just a minute.", Jackie said turning to face Jade. 

"We talk about it later. Now go to your room.", he ordered. 

"What? Don't you think I'm kind of grown to be grounded?", Jade asked but before everybody's serious glances, she lowered her head defeated. 

"Oh, alright...", she said in a low voice as she went upstairs. 

After some hours, Jade got tired of waiting and found strange that nobody had appeared to ask about Julia. She decided to go downstairs and saw everyone gathered. Jackie turned to face her. 

"Jade. How good that you came. I was going to call you now. We have news for you. A good one and two bad ones." 

"Uh... Could you tell me the good one first?", she asked and Jackie nodded. 

"Sure. It's that Viper phoned us and said that she's coming back." 

"Really? Cool!", Jade said smiling, but then was serious again. 

"But that means that one of the bad news is that I have to leave, right?", she asked. 

"Uhn... Yes...", Jackie admitted. 

"And the other bad news is that you are going to be in a big trouble if you don't tell us about that Julia.", he continued crossing his arms. 

"But I already said that she's just a friend!" 

"Since when you think it is a good idea to be a criminal's daughter's friend?", he asked and Jade flinched. 

"What... do you mean?" 

"Stop pretending. We all know that Julia is a criminal's daughter.", he said and Jade made a surprise face. 

"How do you know that?" 

"Jack has heard your conversation with Julia by using the extension and told us everything he knew about her.", Tohru answered. 

"Now there's an extension here?", she asked even more surprised and glared at Jack. 

"Damn! It's all your fault...", she muttered. 

~/~/~

"Finally, I found out!", Shendu announced triumphant and Julia approached of him. 

"What did you find out?", she asked. 

"The spell to free my siblings.", he answered. 

"Do you mean there'll be more? Cool!" 

"We have to find a pendant called Meng Hsie and combine its power with the Pan Ku box. Besides, I found out that the pendant does not just open portals, but it can also create portals. With it, I can open all the portals at the same place. Then we don't have to travel to each portal. 

~/~/~

"Ok, now... Let's do it calmly... We have to tell him slowly.", Finn said nervously to his friends, who just nodded. 

"Very slowly...", Chow repeated uneasy as the elevator arrived at the fifteenth floor and they left. They walked slowly along the corridor and then finally reached their boss's office. 

"Well, here we go.", Finn said swallowing before opening the door. Valmont was seated in his chair in front of his desk and looked completely confused. He stood up quickly as soon as he saw the four enforcers and approached of them. 

"What happened here? Where were you? Where is Julia? Why were the windows and the door open?", he asked uneasy and the enforcers stepped back. 

"C-Calm down... Relax, Big V...", Finn said and Valmont drew a deep breath. He sat down again and looked impatiently at them. His annoyed glance was enough to them to understand that it would be better if they hurried. 

"Uhn... It's that... we were... in a pub, relaxing...", Finn started. 

"Then we saw a figure moving up there.", Ratso continued pointing upward. 

"And when he came closer, we saw that he has returned... and...", Finn said and Valmont raised a brow. 

"Who?", Valmont asked. Hak Foo sighed impatiently and pushed Finn and the others so that they shut up. 

"Enough! If you take too long to tell him, we will never find them!", he snapped and Valmont stood up again. 

"To find who?" 

"In other words, your daughter was kidnapped by Shendu and he took her to who-knows-where with the Pan Ku box.", Hak Foo explained and initially Valmont could not say anything, but just stared at him, pale and trying to convince himself that this was impossible. Finn cleared his throat. 

"Her... He probably wants to free his siblings...", Finn added. Valmont stuttered trying to say something, anything, to keep his self-control. 

"We tried to follow Shendu to rescue Julia, but now he has the power of the talismans...", Chow said shrugging and they could feel Valmont's shock turning to panic. 

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! JULIAAAAAA!!!!", he yelled and left running. 

"I said that we should have told the story slowly!", Finn complained to Hak Foo, who just crossed his arms and left the room after Valmont. 

~/~/~

"So, where's that pendant?", Julia asked while leafing through a book looking for a picture of it. 

"I don't know... I still have to research that...", Shendu answered looking tired. He didn't like to research, that was more like Tso Lan... 

"Shendu...", Julia called looking in surprise at a picture that she has just found and Shendu approached of her. Julia pointed at the book. 

"Is this the Meng Hsie pendant?", she asked and the demon didn't understand why she was so surprised with that. 

"Yes, it is.", he answered shortly. Julia smiled and turned to face him. 

"I know where this pendant is!", she declared and Shendu stared at her not quite believing. 

"It is at my home. My mother was an archaeologist, and one day she found that pendant during an excavation and thought that it was very beautiful. Then, instead of giving it to the museum, she gave it to my father as a present!", she explained. 

"I want to see that.", he said and grabbed her, and flew outside the window heading to the Dark Hand HQ. 

~/~/~

"I think nobody's here...", Julia remarked glancing around herself. Shendu took his human form so that he could fit in the apartment. Jade turned to face him and smiled. 

"You're really cute when you are in that human form.", she said and Shendu snorted in despise. 

"Just find the Meng Hsie pendant already.", he ordered. She nodded and hurried to her father's room. 

She remembered very well of where it was. She knelt down to open a drawer of a closet and smiled pleased and immediately finding the pendant inside a box decorated with diamonds. Inside the box there was a photo of her with her parents. She observed the photo thoughtfully and decided to keep it with her. Julia grabbed the pendant and ran back to Shendu. 

"I found it! It's this pendant, isn't it?", she asked showing the pendant and Shendu stared at it a bit surprised. 

"Yes, it is... Tell me, where did your mother find that?", he wanted to know. The demon felt like the pendant was familiar, but he couldn't say why. 

"It was in Africa, I think it was close to the Mt. Kilimanjaro. But why?", she asked and Shendu smirked bitterly. 

"I see... Now I remember", he murmured and Julia raised a brow curiously. 

"Remember what?" 

"It's not of your business. Let's get out of here.", he said taking the pendant and hung it on his neck. 

"Where are we going?" 

"To the South Pole.", he answered beginning to leave, but Julia didn't move. 

"Are you going to take me there... flying?" 

"Yes." 

"But how are you going to take all those ingredients?", she asked and Shendu stopped. Indeed, he couldn't take all that, even if they kept the ingredients in suitcases. Julia smiled in victory. 

"Let's go by plane. What about one of the planes in our base? It's close to here.", she suggested. 

"But who is going to pilot?", Shendu asked. 

"Did you forget that all the Dark Hand members live at this building? We are going to visit our personal pilot.", she replied smirking and leaving the apartment. 

~/~/~

"Why it was me who had to come here? Damn, it should have been Ratso. Can't they see that I'm already very tired after everything that had happened?", Finn complained alone. Valmont was preparing an equipment in order to track all the movements of Section 13. That was possible thanks to Julia's mother, who had been a spy in Section 13. However, it was lacking an important piece and Finn had been ordered to look for it. 

He continued muttering and only stopped when the elevator arrived and he saw Julia with a blond young man who was holding tightly the pilot of the Dark Hand. 

"Julia...?" 

"Finn? What are you doing here?", Julia asked. 

"What I am doing here?! What are YOU doing here? We thought that you had been kidnapped by Shendu!", Finn said and glanced at the man in suspicious. 

"Finn, don't worry about me. I'm fine. You see, I wasn't kidnapped, I ran away.", she said and Finn didn't understand what she meant. 

"But... your father is very worried about you!", he tried again and Julia snorted in despise, leaving the building with Shendu and the pilot, who seemed to understand absolutely nothing. 

"My father just cares about himself and his precious money.", she said and when they left the building, Julia turned to face Finn again. 

"When you see my father again, tell him that I hate him.", she said coldly. 

"Wait, Julia!", Finn yelled and ran outside the building, but when he got there, Julia and the two men had already disappeared. 

~/~/~

"Viper!", Jade said happily when seeing her arriving at Section 13. 

"Jade! So good to see you again!", she said and the two hugged each other. 

"What are you doing in San Francisco?", Viper asked and before Jade could answer, Jackie appeared with Captain Black. 

"Causing trouble, as usual.", Jackie said sarcastically and he and Viper kissed each other. 

"What happened this time?", Viper asked playfully, obviously she had no idea of what had happened. 

"She just made friends with a criminal girl who has freed Shendu and stolen the talismans.", he replied glancing severely at Jade. Viper's expression immediately became serious. 

"Dad!", Jack called as he came running and Viper was happy in seeing him, though she was still concerned about the situation. 

"Jack!", she said kneeling down to hug him. 

"Mom! How good that you came back!" 

"What is it?", Jackie asked. 

"Uncle said that he wants to talk with you now. He prepared a sensor and found the power of the talismans.", Jack said pointing at the laboratory and everyone hurried to there. 

"Uncle! What did you find out?", Jackie asked as soon as he came in. 

"Jackie, the sensor indicates that Shendu is going to the South Pole." 

"South Pole? What does he want there?", Jade asked. 

"I don't know... But we cannot stay here just waiting to see it.", Uncle said gloomily. 

*****

*snort* I know that the word "sensor" should be substituted by "locator spell", but... oh well... 

Kyahhh!! I just saw "J2: Rise of the Dragons" screenshots!!! *gasp* WHO is Drago's mother?! He's so... so... strange! Now I understand what people said to me. He really looks like a super villain! And why does he wear so many clothes? He's a demon, isn't he??? And that name... Drago?! So different from his father, uncles and aunts... I'm beginning to believe that he's really half-human! Ah, but no way am I going to make Drago his first son! NO WAY!!! 


	9. Demons Release

Incompetent author does not know if "blueish" exists and if "blowfish" is the right word for that fish for Uncle's chi-spells. But anyway, she thanks for all the reviews!^^

*****

**Chapter 9: Demons Release**

"Jackie! Don't you think we should call the J-Team?", Jade asked while Jackie and the others were preparing the Section 13's jet. 

"Jade, we don't have time for that. Shendu must already be in the South Pole now.", Jackie explained and Jade crossed her arms angry. She was about to enter in the jet, but was stopped by Jackie. 

"Jade! You stay here!", he said and Jade looked angry at him. 

"But Jackie! I am not a child anymore!", she defended and Uncle came with Tohru, carrying some suitcases. 

"But someone has to take care of the shop. Uncle is going to need Tohru's help and Captain Black is very busy too.", Uncle said entering in the jet. 

"I don't believe!", Jade shouted but was completely ignored. 

"Ready, Uncle?", Jackie asked entering in the jet. Uncle was looking for something in one of the suitcases. 

"I can't find the locator spell to find Shendu...", he said a bit worried. 

"Maybe you have left in the laboratory, sensei...", Tohru said also looking for the locator spell. 

"It must be somewhere in Section 13. Let's look for it.", Jackie said and everybody followed him to inside the building. Jade glanced around herself and noticed that she was alone with Jack, Vinicius and Alice. 

"Don't you think they're facilitating too much?", she asked to the three children. Jack stepped back when understanding her intentions, but Jade grabbed his wrist. 

"Aren't you coming with us?", Jade asked as she saw that Vinicius and Alice didn't move. The two siblings glanced at each other. 

"I wish I could go, Jade. But you know how our parents are strict. If they find out that we've disobeyed him, we're gone.", Vinicius said and Alice nodded. 

"I know... You're right... Your father is worse than Jackie...", Jade said thoughtful. 

"Jade, could you do me a favor?", Vinicius asked sadly. 

"Sure." 

"I want you to take pictures of the demons." 

"Sure, no problem.", she said smiling and then ran dragging Jack. When they entered in the jet, Jackie and the others returned. 

"Did you find the locator spell?", Alice asked. 

"Yes, we did.", Jackie answered and glanced around himself, frowning. 

"Where are Jade and Jack?", he asked in suspicion. 

"Ah, Jade was very angry because you didn't let her go with you. Then she went away with Jack.", Alice said smiling innocently and Vinicius stared at her. Jackie smiled pleased and everybody entered in the jet, except for Captain Black and his children. After the airplane had left, Black turned to go back to Section 13. 

"Alice... you never lie! What happened?", Vinicius asked crossing his arms and smirking, making Alice a bit embarrassed. 

"If you had answered the question, our father wouldn't have believed... I just wanted to help Jade...", she replied in a low voice. 

"Damn! I wanted to go with them! I'm so jealous!", Vinicius complained and his sister just smiled. 

~/~/~

"Ahh, it's very cold!!", Julia complained while she and Shendu tried to walk. She was wearing practically all her coats, and still she was freezing. She barely managed to walk. 

"Blast! Why it had to be in such a cold place?!", she shouted. 

"And do you think I am pleased with this?! I am the fire demon!", Shendu snapped. He was walking in front of her, in his human form. He was wearing a coat and gloves too. Although he was much more resistant for the simple fact of being a demon, he was still very cold. Julia watched him and snapped. 

"I just can't stand to see you wearing those clothes. We are in Antarctica! The coldest place of the world, and there you are wearing clothes that someone would wear in England! I feel cold by just looking at you!" 

"Then don't look at me!" 

"How am I going to know where to go, then?", she asked and Shendu suddenly stopped, staring at the ground. 

"What? Why did we stop?", she asked glancing around herself and at the ground, but don't seeing anything special. 

"I'm feeling a strange energy coming from the ground.", he answered after a while, pointing down. 

"Stand back.", he ordered stepping back and so did Julia. He then used the power of the dragon talisman to explode the ground and open a hole. They looked at inside of it and noticed that it seemed to be a cave. And it was obvious that it wasn't natural. Somebody had dug it a long time ago. 

~/~/~

"Nobody told me that we were going to the South Pole. And now? What do I have to do to avoid freezing?", Finn asked. 

"Yeah, we are not exactly prepared to go to the South Pole. We only have some coats and gloves...", Chow remarked. 

"That won't take too long. The Chans will take care of Shendu while we rescue Julia. They fight and we go back. Simple.", Valmont said trying to look calm. Finn rubbed the back of his head. 

"You look uneasy, Finn? What happened?", Ratso asked. 

"It must be the cold.", Chow said. 

"No, actually..... Maybe she doesn't want to be rescued...", Finn murmured to himself. 

"What?", Valmont asked and Finn shook his head. 

"Uh... Nothing..." 

~/~/~

"Jackie, better we wear some coats. It's very cold already.", Viper said looking at the window. 

"Yes, you're right.", Jackie agreed standing up to open the trunk. He yelped as he saw Jade hugging a suitcase. 

"Did we already get there? It's kinda tight here.", she said. 

"Jade! Why are you... How did you... What are you- Ahh, why do I still ask?!", Jackie yelled placing his hands on his face. 

"Relax, Jackie. Now I am older, then I can help you even more.", Jade said getting out of the trunk. 

"How did you fit inside there?", Viper asked looking at the trunk. 

"It's larger than it looks.", Jade answered smiling and Jackie sat down in his seat, trying to calm down. 

"Mr. Chan, we arrived.", the pilot informed. The airplane landed and Jackie opened the door. Everybody came out, except for Jade and the pilot. Jackie found it strange. 

"Uh... You don't want to come with us?", he asked in suspicion and Jade still didn't move. 

"Uhn... Not yet... I still gotta... look for a coat.", she answered nervously and Jackie accepted that answer. 

"Ok. Do you want us to wait for you?" 

"No, no. I'll catch you up later.", she assured grinning and Jackie shrugged, closing the door. Jade glanced at the pilot's cockpit and when seeing that he was distracted reading a magazine, she quietly opened another trunk. 

"Let's go, Jack!", she whispered and Jack sighed, getting out of the trunk with no enthusiasm. 

~/~/~

"Ah, how good. Here is much warmer...", Julia commented smiling a bit and glancing curiously at the whole cave. There were some statues along a kind of corridor, and each one was different from the others. Shendu was walking while reading a spell book. 

They arrived at the end of the cave that now was a much larger place. In the center, there was a circle with a strange symbol. Shendu spread some magic objects and took a bottle containing a blueish liquid. He covered the lines forming the circle and the symbol with it. Then, he placed the book in the ground in the center of the room, and raised his hands. 

"Huo! Hui! Jin!", he said aloud and suddenly eight torches were lighted, one in each corner of the cave, and Julia noticed that it looked like a ritual room in form of an octagon. Shendu sighed in frustration. 

"What's the problem?", Julia asked. 

"This spell is going to cost me too much energy. And it is very difficult, I have only one chance.", he said. 

"Calm down and concentrate. You can do it.", she encouraged and Shendu knelt down to read the book again. 

~/~/~

"Uncle, where's Shendu?", Jackie asked as Uncle watched carefully the locator spell that he was holding. Suddenly, it began to shine more intensely. Uncle followed the way it was pointing until arriving at a big hole in the ground. 

"Shendu is inside here!", Uncle said pointing at the hole and Jackie nimbly went down jumping by the walls until reaching the ground. When seeing that the hole wasn't very deep, he said to the others that they could jump too. 

"Jade, I think that demon is inside there.", Jack remarked. 

"Duh!", she said sarcastically. They have been watching Jackie and the others from behind a little mount of snow. They left this hiding place and approached of the hole. 

"C'mon, Jack.", she said pulling his hand and jumping to inside the hole. What they didn't know was that another group observed them from a certain distance. 

~/~/~

Suddenly, Shendu stopped reciting the spell and stood up, staring seriously at the entrance of the ritual room. 

"What now?", Julia asked also turning to that direction and noticed that somebody was coming. 

"They can't come much closer. The spell was already started and that activated a temporary barrier.", Shendu said calmly. 

"Temporary? And how long is it going to last?", she wanted to know but Shendu didn't answer. They watched the entrance and saw Jackie, Viper, Uncle and Tohru. Shendu wasn't surprised, that always happened. However, all the others were very surprised. 

"But who are those people?", Julia asked. 

"Funny, I was going to ask the same thing about you.", Viper said and Tohru looked at the blond man beside the little girl. 

"It's him! It's him who knocked me out and stole the books!", Tohru yelled pointing at the man. 

"I don't understand... Didn't Shendu have only one ally? By the way, where's Shendu?", Jackie asked and Uncle whacked him in his head. 

"Do you ever think?! That little girl is the ally and the blond man is Shendu in his human form!", Uncle snapped. Jackie stared at Shendu and really couldn't say if it was true, but he knew that those two were planning something, and he should do something to stop them. The fire demon ignored the group and turned again, knelling down to continue reading the book. 

"Stop!", Jackie yelled running to the center of the room, but was repelled by an strange energy. 

"It is a barrier...", Uncle said observing the whole room. 

"Can you break it, Uncle?", Jackie wanted to know. 

"I'll try...", Uncle answered looking for something in his bag. On that moment, they heard a voice behind them. 

"Jackie!" 

"Jade. JACK?!", he yelled in surprise when seeing his son with her. 

"Jack, what are you doing here?", Viper asked in worry. 

"It was Jade's fault! She forced me to come!", Jack defended. 

"Julia, what are you doing with him? Come here now!", Jade yelled and Julia just ignored her. 

"Then she is Julia...", Jackie murmured and found that she looked familiar. Uncle took a blowfish from his bag and began to cast a chi-spell in order to try to break the barrier. 

"Shendu! They're going to break the barrier!", Julia warned in worry and Shendu seemed not to have heard, since he was very concentrated in the spell of the book. Almost everybody turned to see the entrance when they heard somebody coming, and they were surprised when seeing who was. 

"Oh, boy...", Jade murmured tapping her forehead. 

"The Dark Hand? What are they doing here?", Jackie asked confused and they ignored him. Then Hak Foo and Finn recognized the blond man in the center of the room. 

"That's him!", Hak Foo announced and Valmont turned to face his enforcers. 

"It's him, Big V! He's Shendu!", Finn said pointing at the man. Valmont looked again to the center if the room. 

"Julia, get away from him! Come here right now!", he ordered. 

"No, YOU come here!", she replied crossing her arms. Jackie raised a brow and thought for a short a while. 

"What? I came all the way until the South Pole and you want to stay with him?", Valmont asked pointing at Shendu, who began to stand up holding the open book. 

"Not my problem! Who said that I wanted you to come here?" 

"Wait! So Julia is... Valmont's daughter?", Jackie asked confused and Jade raised a brow to him. 

"You didn't know that?" 

"No, Jack told me that she was a criminal's daughter, but he didn't say which criminal!", he answered. 

"Hatcha!", Uncle yelled as the blowfish began to shine even more. 

"Did you get to break the barrier, Uncle?" 

"Not yet! But it's already very weak!", he said making a great effort to continue with the same rhythm, but it was too late. The torches began to produce a type of blue mixed with green fire, and the cave turned darker and gloomy. Now the barrier was a bit more visible. 

"The barrier! That means that it is almost disappearing!", Tohru said and Jackie tried to go to the center of the room, but was repelled again. 

"Julia, approach the Pan Ku box of the Meng Hsie pendant!", Shendu ordered handing over the pendant to her. Julia did as he said and a white light began to glow. When it was very close to the Pan Ku box, the light turned green. The box was separated in eight pieces, four of them dropped in the ground. 

"Aiiyaaa!", Uncle yelled losing all his energy. Jackie and the others watched how four portals opened in random sides of the room, and each one had a trigram in the top. The four pieces of the box that were still active were attracted by the trigrams, until reaching them and opening the portals. 

From the portals, Bai Tsa, Xiao Fung, Hsi Wu and Tso Lan stepped out. After that, the portals closed and the pieces of the Pan Ku box dropped in the ground. The torches returned to normal and the cave became clearer again. Shendu and Uncle fell exhausted and the barrier was broken. 

*****

After 4 years studying English on my own, I was finally forced to study it at my school. I already mentioned in "Sky Shine" that this English class was very humiliating, because I could find out how poor my English is and that my English dictionary is one of my best friends! :P

Culture Time: 

*ashamed author wants to repeat the false friends guide*

False friends are that words whose mission is to deceive, humiliate and make Brazilians think that English is very easy. I'd like to post some examples here too, although I've already done that in "Sky Shine". First, it's the English word, and then the word in Portuguese that just looks like the right translation. In parenthesis, it's the real meaning of the Portuguese words. Clear? Ok, there we go. 

Actual – atual (current) 

Assign – assinar (to sign) 

Baton – batom (lipstick) 

Beef – bife (steak) 

Casual – casual (chance) 

Cigar – cigarro (cigarette) 

Collar – colar (necklace) 

College – colégio (school) 

Costume – costume (habit) 

Data – data (date) 

Deception – decepção (disappointment) 

Dent – dente (tooth) 

Exquisite – esquisito (strange) 

Fabric – fábrica (factory) 

Intend – entender (understand) 

Intoxication – intoxicação (poisoning) 

Library – livraria (bookstore) 

Lunch – lanche (snack) 

Parent – parente (relative) 

Pretend – pretender (intend) 

Push – puxar (pull) 

Record – recordar (remember) 

Sensible – sensível (sensitive) 

Stranger – estrangeiro (foreigner) 

Sympathetic – simpático (nice)


	10. Family Problems

The author's happy because she's watching season 4, but still wondering what have happened with Tarakudo... He disappeared! Anyway, the little shadowkhans of the episode called "The Shadow Eaters" are SO cute! ^_^ And "The Good Guys" looks like it was written by a fanfic writer! It's just me or characters are OOC in season 4? But like VampireNaomi said, that's a good thing, since it is an excuse to us, fic writers, to write OOC fics!

Thank you for all those who reviewed! 

*****

**Chapter 10: Family Problems**

The demons glanced around themselves, completely confused. They seemed not to understand very well what was happening. Julia was amazed with them. Uncle was in the ground trying to get up. Tohru had to help him. 

"Tohru, we have to seal the demons again.", Uncle said trying to keep standing up. The demons quickly noticed Jackie. 

"Chan!", Bai Tsa hissed angry. Hsi Wu looked at the humans' group. He raised his brows when he saw a young girl among them. A girl whose he remembered pretty well. The same hair, the same expression, the same eyes, the same clothes. 

He was a bit surprised. The last time he had seen her, she was just a little girl. Now she was a beautiful woman. Actually, without even noticing he had thought about her for all these years. In the boring Netherworld, he had nothing better do to but to watch the videos in that Super Moose camera. He had learned how to make it work properly and spent hours watching olds recordings and making new ones. 

In fact, that was what he was doing until now. But suddenly, a portal had been opened right before his eyes, and Hsi Wu didn't think too much to soon decide to go through it. And now he was here, in this strange and cold place, with three of his siblings and twelve humans. 

Jackie and Jade stepped back. Viper was holding Jack tightly. They obviously were in disadvantage against the demons, and their only salvation was Uncle. 

"Uncle, you have to cast the chi-spell to banish the demons again.", Jackie whispered. 

"Used up too much 'chi'... Uncle needs to take a rest...", he answered sounding very tired. 

"Let's destroy them before they cast the chi-spell!", Bai Tsa said and her siblings nodded. They all moved forward and the humans flinched. Valmont ran to Julia and grabbed her. Viper did the same thing with Jack and Tohru tried to help Uncle. They ran along the corridor of the cave until reaching the hole. They climbed up and continued running, with the demons pursuing them. 

"Hurry, Uncle! The chi-spell!", Jackie screamed and Uncle stopped with Tohru. 

"Right... Tohru, help me...", he murmured and took the ingredients. A lotus flower, a fan, a gourd and a flute. 

"Jackie! Jade! Come back here! We two cannot banish four demons at the same time!", Uncle yelled as he could. Jackie and Jade ran to him. Jackie was with the flute, Jade with the lotus flower, Tohru with the gourd and Uncle with the fan. Uncle began to cast the chi-spell and the demons stopped. 

"No! It's that chi-spell!", Bai Tsa shouted. 

"That's it! No way I am going to stay here and return to that place for the third time!", Xiao said turning to run away, and so did Hsi Wu. 

"You're going to run away?!", Bai asked not believing and Tso Lan approached of her. 

"Let's withdrawn by now. We can think of a plan more calmly in another place.", he said and Bai reluctantly nodded. Jackie stopped playing the flute and stared at the demons going away. 

"I don't believe... They ran away...?", he said in a low voice and Uncle fell again. Jackie and Jade ran to him. 

"Uncle, are you alright?", Jade asked in worry. 

"Yes... Just need to rest..." 

"We have to be careful. The demons ran away now, but surely they'll return.", Jackie said discouraged. He helped Uncle to get up and they decided that it was better if he recovered first so that they could banish the demons later. They went back to the group, which now was separated in two. 

"Julia, how good that you are alright! I was so worried about you.", Valmont said hugging his daughter, who pushed him away. 

"No, dad! You were worried about what would happen if I'm not with you to do your dirty work!", she snapped. 

"Julia, you know that's not true!", he said angry. 

"When are you going to understand that I already found out the truth a long time ago and that I don't like you anymore? Leave me alone!", she said turning to go away. Valmont held her arm. 

"Wait! Where do you think you are going?" 

"I'm going to go back to the cave. Shendu is still there.", she answered trying to release her arm. 

"What? So what that he's still there? You are safe with me now. You don't have to stay with him." 

"But I think it is safer to stay with the demons than stay with you!" 

Jade watched how the two argued. She thought that it wouldn't be good to interfere, though she wanted to help Julia. Valmont sighed and looked at Hak Foo. 

"Take her.", he ordered and Hak nodded. He approached of the girl and grabbed her tightly. She tried to break free from his grip, but he didn't move at all. 

"No, leave me! Let me go! Jade, help!", she yelled and Jade flinched. She didn't know what to do, but she agreed that it would be really safer to stay away from the demons. 

~/~/~

"Why did we come back to this cave?", Xiao wanted to know. 

"Because someone opened our portals with the Meng Hsie pendant. I've already read about that type of spell. It requires a lot of energy, and if somebody did that, he must have very strong reasons. Let's talk to him.", Tso Lan explained and Bai looked at Hsi. 

"Hsi Wu, what are you holding?", she asked and Hsi hid the camera behind him. 

"Nothing...", he answered uneasy. The four demons arrived at the ritual room and saw a blond man fallen in the ground, though he was awake. Bai Tsa used one of her tentacles to grab him and lifted him until the height of her eyes. 

"Why would a mere mortal like you free us?", she asked. 

"Mere mortal...? Bai Tsa, it's me..." 

"Shendu? I didn't recognize you. Why is your hair with that color?" 

"It always had this color. I used to turn it dark because in ancient China blond people weren't common.", he answered and Bai Tsa let him go. 

"Well, what are you waiting for? Take your true form.", Xiao said. 

"I can't... That old man made me use more energy than necessary. I don't get to do anything else." 

"So that's why only four of us were freed. Why didn't you inform us that you were going to free us again?", Tso Lan wanted to know. 

"I was in a hurry. That chi-wizard prepared a locator spell to find the talismans. I didn't have time." 

"Speaking of talismans, why isn't the horse talisman curing you?", Xiao asked. 

"The energy lost was so much that even the power of the talismans was temporarily disabled.", Tso answered and Bai looked at him. 

"And what about the Chans? They'll soon come after us.", she reminded and Tso thought for a while. 

"Firstly, we have to find a hideout. We'll free our siblings that are still imprisoned. Thus, we'll have more advantage. Then we'll think of a plan. Shendu, I suggest that you get rid of your talismans. That chi-wizard will find you with the locator spell. And if you don't do that, you won't be able to stay with us.", Tso said seriously. 

~/~/~

"I just say that today was a very weird day, and never again I want to do that!", Jack complained. 

"Jade, did you bring the demons' photo?", Vinicius asked happily and Jade sighed. 

"No, because I didn't have a camera...", she answered and Vinicius sighed in frustration. 

"C'mon, Jade... Even the demons had a camera...", Jack remarked sarcastically and Jade looked at him. 

"What do you mean?" 

"You didn't see? One of the demons had a camera of that old cartoon... what's the name? Super Moose...?" 

"Hsi Wu........ What were you doing with that?", she murmured in confusion. 

"Jade is lucky. Everybody is so concerned in banishing the demons that didn't even remembered of punish her or something. After all, it was her who began all this by taking that Julia to Section 13.", Jack commented and Jade stood up. 

"What?", Vinicius asked. 

"Nothing. I'm just going to a walk..." 

~/~/~

"Come on, Shendu. That will make you feel better.", Tso said calmly. 

"No! I already said that I won't dive in that cold water!" 

"Stop being a real handful. Don't act like a child." 

"NO!" 

"It's for your own sake, Shendu.", Bai Tsa said turning from water into her true form behind him and pushing him to inside the lake. 

"GAAAHHH!" 

"And after you get out of there, get rid of the talismans. We need to find a hideout close to the Chan clan without being noticed.", Tso Lan continued while Shendu struggled trying to swim. 

"Calm down, Shendu. This lake is shallow, you won't drown.", Xiao said amused. 

"But this is horrible!", the dragon complained. Hsi Wu rolled his eyes. Sometimes he wondered why his siblings were so strange. 

"Ah, stop being fussy. It's just water...", the sky demon said and Shendu glared at him. 

"I'll remember to tell you something very similar when we visit brother Dai Gui. Only replacing the word 'water' by 'tunnel'.", he snapped and Hsi snorted. 

"Idiot...", Hsi muttered, though Shendu has heard. 

"What? You cannot talk to me like that! I'm your older brother!" 

"Then act like one! You look like a child when you're afraid of water!" 

"Why you grown bat!", Shendu shouted getting out of the lake and moving forward to attack Hsi Wu. 

"Come on, you... weak human.", Hsi said smiling as he held Shendu with only one hand. Then the dragon remembered that he was still in his human form. 

"Hsi Wu, don't hit your brother when he is in a human form.", Tso Lan said watching them. 

"But I only have advantage on Shendu when he is like that.", Hsi Wu defended and Shendu took advantage of his distraction to punch his face and break free. 

The two siblings began to fight. Shendu didn't get to take his true form yet, but some powers of the talismans were beginning to return, and luckily the fire demon had already gotten the super-strength. 

"They'll never grow up...", Bai commented. 

"Yay! Fight! Fight!", Xiao commemorated excited and Tso Lan and Bai Tsa glanced at him in despise and sighed. 

"Let's put an end to that. Tchang Zu won't like to know that only we were freed...", Tso Lan remarked. 

"Hey, you two! Stop that right now!", Bai ordered. 

"I see that you are feeling much better, Shendu. Then why don't you get rid of the talismans so that we can look for a hideout?", Tso said dryly and Shendu frowned. He wanted to stay with his talismans, but it was really very dangerous to keep them now. 

~/~/~

"Are you telling me that you weren't kidnapped? You really wanted to go with him?", Valmont confirmed not believing. Julia crossed her arms. 

"Are you deaf? That's what I has been saying for hours!", Julia snapped. The enforcers were hearing them arguing, although they were in the thirteenth floor. Finn sighed and shook his head. 

"Why can't those two get along? And here I thought that I had problems with my parents.", he commented. 

"Yeah, me too. And it's always the same thing. Soon we are going to hear the sound of things breaking, doors slamming... and after three days they'll be talking to each other as nothing had happened.", Chow said. 

"I don't know. I think this time is serious.", Finn said as they heard those yelling angry at each other. Then they heard the sound of a slamming door and after that there was only a mortal silence. 

"Things weren't like this when Sara was still alive...", Ratso said leaning his chin on his hand. 

"When Sara was still alive, those two hardly saw each other. Sara always took Julia in her missions. How do you think that Julia know so much about Section 13's security?", Finn reminded and the other two nodded. Finn took 50 dollars from his pocket. 

"I bet 50 dollars that she's going to run away tonight." 

*****

Hmm... Short chapter, isn't it? I've just noticed it, but I can't edit this fic again! Ok, chapter 14 will compensate, since it's huge and has few characters lines and too much narration. 


	11. A New Hideout

Why do I have the feeling that nobody – with few exceptions – is reviewing because you are all just waiting to see the demons pairings? C'mon, people... some of them you can already guess, right? And some others can be only known if you read Portuguese version... and still some of them you can only know if you read my mind! XD

Whatever. I'm in a very good mood today, so I decided to translate some more. Besides, this is a boring chapter. 

Oh, message to **VampireNaomi**: Remember what we talked about Valmont? Well, if you could read chapter 17 in Portuguese, you would see that... well, things were kinda hard to him... He was victim of my violent mood...^^" (if you didn't understand what I meant, don't worry. You'll know soon.) hehe, Julia is planning something on chapter 17... but I won't tell what, since I already know that you don't like spoilers.^^ 

*****

**Chapter 11: A new hideout**

Julia took a suitcase and put away some objects. They were not important thing, like clothes. That was because she was indeed running away, but to another house of her father. It was very big and roomy, and Valmont only went there when the whole Dark Hand was 'off' or escaping from Section 13. There was a great hideout, it even had some secret passages. 

She carefully left and in the elevator, she met Finn, Ratso and Chow. She didn't mind about them, though. 

"Where are you going? Running away again?", Finn asked and Julia turned to face him, smiling. 

"Quite so, but this time I won't return." 

"You always say that. By the way, shouldn't you wait until night?" 

"No, because I cannot stand this place anymore." 

The elevator stopped in the ground floor, and Julia ran leaving the building while the three men observed her. They really thought she was going to return. Chow and Ratso nodded at each other and looked at Finn. 

"Hey, Finn. You owe us 50 dollars.", Chow said. 

"What? No, I won the bet! She ran away, didn't she?" 

"But you betted that she was going to do it tonight. And it's afternoon yet." 

"Damn...", Finn muttered taking his wallet and looking for the money. 

~/~/~

Jade was walking for the city. Something was bothering her, but she couldn't say what. Suddenly, she heard somebody calling her. He turned to see that it was Julia. 

"Julia... How good to see you, I wanted to talk with you. Sorry I didn't help you when Hak Foo took you away.", Jade said looking away and Julia smiled, waving her hand. 

"Ah, never mind that. Now I solved all my problems with my father." 

"Really?" 

"Yes! He hates me, I hate him... I am running away from home and never again we will see each other. End of story." 

Jade blinked. 

"Uhn... Julia, I don't think your father hates you... You see, he went all the way to the South Pole just to save you and-"

"No, let's not talk about that. Let's talk about good things. I- Oh!", Julia stopped when she noticed something on the other side of the street. 

"What? What happened?", Jade asked curiously. 

"Look, I have to go now! See you later!", Julia said quickly running to a snack bar, and Jade raised a brow. Why was she in such a hurry just because of a snack bar? 

~/~/~

Xiao Fung glanced at the newspaper, and then looked at his siblings. Hsi Wu and Bai Tsa were leaning on the table, waiting for something to happen. Tso Lan was reading one of the books that had been stolen of Uncle's shop. Shendu was reading the newspaper, looking for a house or an apartment where they could stay. 

"I think we should go to a hotel.", Bai commented. 

"But, Bai. It was you who said that hotels are very small, that you preferred a house...", Xiao replied. 

"Well, there's nothing here. We have to go to a hotel, anyway.", Shendu said closing the newspaper and placing it on the table. 

"Shendu!", Julia yelled as soon as she came in the snack bar and the demons flinched. She approached of them happily. 

"Shh, don't say my name so aloud! Mainly in this city!", Shendu hissed angry. Julia glanced at the newspaper and guessed what they were doing. 

"You were looking for a hideout?", she asked and Tso Lan noticed something from the corner of his eye. He looked at outside and saw Jade slowly approaching of the snack bar. 

"Shendu, that girl of the Chan clan is coming. Get rid of the talismans.", he ordered. 

They all stood up. Julia watched how the group went through a door that leaded to the terrace. She glanced around herself and decided to follow them. When she got there, just kept observing the demons, hidden behind the door. 

"That girl must have found us because of the talismans.", Bai snapped. 

"I think not. Or else Chan or that chi-wizard would be here as well.", Tso said calmly. 

"Anyway, Shendu, I want you to get rid of the talismans now!", Bai ordered. 

"What do you expect me to do? Throw them away?" 

"Hey, weren't you looking for a hideout?", Julia asked again, surprising the demons. 

"Why is that little girl following us...?", Xiao murmured and Shendu approached of her. 

"Here, take it.", he said giving her a little bag. 

"Uh... Thank you...", Julia said a bit confused. 

"Now get away.", he said dryly, turning around and the group went away leaping in the buildings. Jade quickly arrived at the terrace and could just see Julia standing up there, apparently staring at nothing. 

"Julia, what are you doing?", she asked. 

"Jade! Uh... I have to go now...", Julia said nervously, hiding the bag from Jade's view and going away. 

~/~/~

"I think this house is empty...", Bai said walking around the room of a huge house. It was very luxurious and roomy. It was close to the beach and also had a pool. 

"It's perfect!", she continued in victory. 

"It's horrible! There's water everywhere!", Shendu complained. 

"Let's stay here. If it's real owner appears, we can simply kill him.", Tso said watching the place. Hsi Wo moved away from his siblings to take a look at the whole house. It seemed to be very good, it was big, and that meant that he could be alone sometimes. It was very frustrating to have to be with his siblings everyday, all the day. 

Hsi Wu opened one of the doors in a corridor. He saw that it was a sleeping room, and it was perfect for him. Hsi quickly found a place to hide the camera. He had unintentionally brought it from the Netherworld and it was being a great reason of suspicion from his siblings. 

He went back to the living room. The four demons were discussing about how they were going to free the rest of their siblings. Suddenly, they heard a movement outside. 

"Phew... Finally...", Julia murmured and yelped in surprise when she saw five people in the house. After she recovered of the fright, she noticed that the five people were the demons. 

"You again?!", Bai shouted angry and Shendu placed a hand on his face. That Julia pursued him! 

"How good that you came to my house!", Julia said smiling and the demons looked at her. 

"Your house?", they asked together. 

"Ahhh! Why give the talismans to somebody who is always coming after us?", Xiao remarked. Shendu sighed and approached of the girl. 

"You can stay here only if you get rid of the talismans.", he said. 

"What talismans?", Julia asked blinking. 

"The talismans that are inside the bag I gave you!" 

"Oh... All right! I'll give them away!", she said quickly leaving the house. Hsi Wu also began to leave. 

"Hey, Hsi Wu! Where are you going?", Bai wanted to know. 

"I'm just going to take a look at the city. I want to know what changed since the last time I has been here." 

~/~/~

Valmont was in his office. After asking all the enforcers of the Dark Hand, he had found out that Julia had run away. He took the telephone and dialed a number. 

_"Hello?"_, a voice answered on the other side. It was a man who might have been about fifty years old. 

"Hello! Doctor! A terrible thing has just happened!", Valmont said with an urgency tone, but the other man's voice continued calm. 

_"Let me guess. You did a bad business and lost money?" _

"No, it's much worse. It's Julia..." 

_"You two faced another shoot-out or something like that?" _

"No, she liked that demon that possessed me about seven years ago and went with him to the South Pole to free his siblings. Then we argued and she ran away! Again!", Valmont explained quickly and the man was in silence for a long while. 

_"Valmont... I think you are watching too much TV..."_, the voice commented and Valmont looked at the window. 

"No, there were really demons and- Oh, my God! There's one of them flying near here!", Valmont said widening his eyes when seeing Hsi Wu flying close to the Dark Hand HQ. 

_"Medical orders: drink something to calm down and take one week off to rest. Relieve your employees and go to a calmer place. With no TV!"_, the voice said seriously. 

"But... Doctor...", Valmont tried to talk as he watched how Hsi Wu moved away from the building. 

_"Ah, I have to hang up! My lunch is burning!"_, the voice said in worry and hung up. Valmont sat in his chair and sighed. 

"Perhaps I should go to that empty house here in San Francisco..." 

~/~/~

Hsi Wu landed in the Uncle's shop roof and watched Jade. She was heading to the shop, her head lowered. She looked thoughtful. Hsi Wu sighed. She never changed her personality. Always alone... 

When she came in the shop, he left the place when he was and went to another window. He carefully glanced at it and saw Uncle sleeping. He looked very tired. Hsi then remembered that he should be weak because of the waste of energy when they were in the South Pole, and that's why he could not search for the demons yet. Hsi went to the other side of the shop, trying to find a window to see Jade. 

"Hi, Jade. Where have you been all the day?", Jack asked while Jade kept her things in a suitcase. 

"Around the city, walking.", she answered with no enthusiasm at all. 

"Why are you packing those? Are you leaving?" 

"Viper and Tohru are back! There's no room for me anymore! Duh!" 

"And where are you going now?" 

"To Section 13. Captain Black called me today. He said that he had a surprise for me.", Jade said. Jack observed her curiously. 

"Whatever. If it doesn't involve me...", he remarked and they turned to the door when they heard the sound of the bell in the front door of the shop, indicating that someone had came in. 

"It must be Jackie.", Jade said leaving the room and Jack followed her. Hsi Wu snapped. There wasn't any window to that part of the shop, then he would have to come in. he took his human form – little Seymour – and went through the window. He was upstairs, so it was easier to hide. 

"Julia!", Jade said in surprise when seeing her friend entering carefully. 

"Jade, what's she doing here?", Jack asked seriously and Julia glared at him. 

"Shut up, Jack!", Jade ordered. 

"I want to give you something.", Julia started in a low voice. 

"What is it?", Jade asked curiously and Julia gave her a bag. Jade opened it and saw the talismans inside it. 

"Julia, how did you get this?", she wanted to know. 

"It doesn't matter. I cannot stay with them, so they're yours. Do whatever you want with them.", Julia said and left the shop. Jade didn't understand anything. She even tested some talismans to see if they were not false, but they actually worked normally. She turned to face Jack. 

"Where's everyone?", she asked. 

"My parents went to Section 13, Tohru went to the mall, and Uncle hasn't woken up yet.", jack answered and Jade sighed. 

"Tell to Uncle and Tohru that I moved to Section 13 and that I have the talismans.", she said taking her suitcase and leaving the shop. 

*****

Great, another short chapter...¬¬


	12. Meeting

I have only one thing to ask you: please, don't kill me in the future...

Thank you for those who reviewed! 

*****

**Chapter 12: Meeting**

"Captain Black, you said that you had a surprise for me.", Jade reminded. 

"A surprise?", Jackie asked curious. 

"Yes, but I think Jade would prefer to hear the surprise alone.", Black said smiling and Jackie and Viper got the message. 

"Well, I'll see how Uncle is doing.", Jackie said and left. 

"And I'm going with him.", Viper said following her husband. 

"So, tell me! Is it a good surprise? Does it have something to do with that thing I asked you?", Jade asked eagerly. 

"Well, it's a good surprise and maybe it's also a bad surprise." 

"Uh?" 

"Well, my superiors said that I could decide if you can become a secret agent or not." 

"Cool"

"But..." 

"But what?" 

"You'll have to obey all my orders." 

"Oww, I'll obey your orders! Just let me be a secret agent, please, please!" 

"Alright." 

"YES!!!" 

"And your first mission is to find this person.", Black said typing a name in the computer. 

"Wow, I just became an agent and I already have a mission! Alright, it can be any person! Jade will take care of it! It can be the evilest of the super-villains! The cruelest of the criminals! The most-", she stopped as she saw the picture in the huge computer screen, and it was also being printed to a smaller size. Black took the small picture and handed it over to Jade, who was still staring at the screen. 

"That's the person I have to capture?", Jade asked sadly. 

"She's internationally wanted. She is a professional spy. In fact, she already invaded the Section 13 several times in the past." 

"No, that's not possible!", Jade said shaking her head. 

"Don't be deceived by her appearance, just because she's a little girl-"

"No! I know that she would never do that!", Jade snapped. 

"If I showed you all the evidences and witness against her, we would stay here until the next century..." 

"I can't do that." 

"Listen, Jade. I gave this mission to you on purpose. I know that you know Julia, and I think she must have showed you where the Dark Hand HQ is, right? 

"No, she didn't! We only talked to each other once! I don't even know her well!" 

"Funny, just a minute ago you said the opposite... that was sure she would never do that." 

"Why are you doing this to me?" 

"We can't allow an agent to be a criminal's friend. And I know that you are a good girl, Jade. I'm just doing this for your own sake." 

"No, you're doing this for YOUR own sake!", Jade shouted and left running. 

"Jade!" He tried to follow her, but soon gave up. Perhaps he just had to let her think about it. She soon would see the truth. 

~/~/~

Hsi Wu was in his human form. He was walking in the city, observing everything. It was already night now, and he could see the full moon. This city was very pretty at night, but Hsi was still a bit confused with all the new technology. It had advanced a lot since the last time he had been in San Francisco. 

He was calmly walking along the pavement when suddenly he heard a noise. He looked at back to see that two cars had hit each other because one of the drivers was absurdly drunk. Hsi snorted in despise. Those stupid mortals... Hsi Wu turned to continue walking but before he could do anything, he was run over by a girl and they fallen to the ground. 

"Oh, sorry! I-", the girl apologized getting up and stopped when she saw Hsi Wu's face. Hsi was also surprised with her. 

'Jade!'

"Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?", Jade asked staring at him and trying to remember. Hsi Wu didn't answer, he was impressed with her. Closely, she was much prettier, mainly now when she wasn't just a little girl anymore. The girl's eyes widened and she drew a deep breath. 

"Hsi Wu! Ahh, get away from me!", she yelled and ran away. Without even think, Hsi went after her. She ran to a musical instruments store. Hsi followed her and saw that she was holding a flute. 

"Don't come any closer, Hsi! I have a flute and I'm not afraid of using it!", she shouted and everybody in the store stared at her thinking that she was crazy. Who would use a flute to defend, after all? 

Hsi Wu backed away. Before he could try to say anything, Jade began to play the flute and Hsi closed his ears with his hands and cried out in pain as he left the store. 

"We will still see each other, Jade! You'll pay for this!", he shouted while taking his true form to fly away. Jade stopped playing the flute and staring at the demon. What was he doing here? Did he want to take revenge on her? 

~/~/~

Hsi Wu went back to the abandoned house and came in through the window. He went downstairs and headed to the room where his siblings were gathered. It was a huge room, with lots of sofas and armchairs. Yes, very comfortable. 

Tso Lan was seated in an armchair reading a spell book. Probably he was trying to find a way to open the rest of the portals without the Pan Ku box. Shendu was sleeping in one of the sofas. He was still recovering from the incident in the South Pole, but he didn't seem to be relaxing. Perhaps... it was because of this loud and awful noise coming from that strange box! Hsi looked annoyed at the television. 

Bai Tsa and Xiao Fung were in their human forms so that they could fit in the sofa. They were watching TV, and Bai Tsa seemed to be very confused while Xiao was grinning amused with what he was watching. Hsi stood behind them and looked at the TV. His expression became similar to Bai Tsa's. He just saw a lot of cars hitting and exploding and some people shooting and bombarding each other. 

"Could you turn the volume down? I cannot sleep with all this noise!", Shendu complained. 

"And I cannot concentrate.", Tso Lan added. 

"This house is big enough. Why don't you just go to another place?", Xiao suggested and the two demons rolled their eyes. 

"Brother Xiao, if you watch it too much you are going to become worse than you already are.", Shendu said slowly sitting in the sofa. The movie was interrupted by the commercials. 

"I don't understand...", Xiao murmured. 

"Oh, really? Of course you don't!", Shendu snapped. 

"But that does not make sense! First they show very entertaining death scenes, and then that woman appears talking about soap powder...", Xiao said scratching his head. 

"Well, since you find that it has no sense, let's just turn off this noisy TV and concentrate in what is important.", Shendu said calmly turning off the television. 

"Oww, but it was cool...", Xiao murmured and Tso Lan stood up. 

"Shendu is right. We still have to research to find out a way to free our other siblings.", the moon demon said and Bai Tsa turned to him. 

"And what have you found out until now, Tso Lan?", she wanted to know. 

"We cannot open the portals in Antarctica, then we have to do it in the usual way.", he answered and Xiao Fung felt a smell of something. 

"Hey, something's burning...", he said and everybody saw a smoke coming from the kitchen. 

"I think that girl set fire to the house.", Bai remarked and Julia appeared from the smoke holding a pot with something black inside. 

"The popcorn burned. I think we should order a pizza.", she said and the demons didn't say anything. Then they turned their glances to Tso Lan. 

"Then we have to go to each portal.", he continued while Julia placed the pot on a table and approached of the demons. 

"You know... that is not easy. Traveling around the world is very expensive and we do not have any other resources to go to the portals. How are we going to Japan, for example, that is on the other side of the world?", Shendu asked. 

"Exactly like you did before.", Tso Lan answered. 

"But that time I was possessing a very rich human and-" The fire demon stopped and looked at Julia. The other demons did the same and the girl blinked. 

"Uh? You want my money? Impossible, I ran away from home and this house is the only thing I have!", she tried to explain and they heard a sound of a car arriving. 

~/~/~

"Forget your problems... Forget your problems... Forget your problems...", Valmont repeated in a low voice while getting out the car. 

"Why is he repeating that?", Ratso asked. 

"I think it has something to do with that crazy psychiatrist...", Finn asked. 

"No demons, no Julia...", Valmont said when he stopped repeating the phrase and drew a deep breath. That house of him was very big and comfortable, and he still could continue controlling the Dark Hand from there. His enforcers followed him and he opened the door. 

"Dad!", Julia yelled in surprise as she saw Valmont coming in the house, and for a long while the two groups just stared at each other. Valmont was pale. He didn't just found Julia but also recognized the demons with her. The blond man who he already knew that was Shendu, the wind demon that was in his same human form used in the prison, the two other demons were in their true forms, and finally a woman who Valmont quickly reached the conclusion that she was the water demon. 

"Ah... Julia... I...", Valmont murmured weakly and Finn pulled his shoulder while the other enforcers slowly backed away. 

"Sorry, wrong house. We gotta go...", the Irish man said smiling nervously while trying to drag his boss outside the house. 

"Wait!", Bai Tsa shouted and took her true form. 

"This mortal is exactly what we need.", she said pulling Valmont and separating him from Finn. 

"And you go away now! Or maybe you want to stay for dinner?", Bai Tsa threatened and the three enforcers gulped. 

"No, thanks.", Chow said nervously. 

"We aren't hungry...", Ratso said. 

"Yeah, we gotta go now... hehe...", Finn finished and the other two nodded. They ran to the car and accelerated as fast as they could. Only when they were already very far away, Finn reduced the speed. 

"Is it ok to leave Valmont and Julia with the demons?", Ratso asked unsure. 

"It's ok. You heard them, they need Valmont then they won't kill him. And it looks like Julia is their accomplice.", Finn replied breathless because of the fright. 

"Besides, maybe he should stay with her. They have to talk and make it up, don't you think?", Chow added. 

"We phone them later to see how they're doing.", Finn said and Chow and Ratso could just nod. 

~/~/~

"Doctor! The demons are here! They kidnapped me and want my money to free their siblings that are still imprisoned in the Netherworld!", Valmont said aloud looking back at times to see Julia looking for something in his wallet. 

_"D-Don't talk about demons! Some hours ago... I was calmly walking along the pavement and one of them came out of a musical instruments store and flew away! Right before my eyes! I think I'm talking with you too much! I need therapy!" _

"But... but..." 

"Why is he screaming alone?", Bai Tsa asked. 

"He's not screaming alone, he's speaking to his psychiatrist.", Julia replied taking all the money of her father's wallet. Bai Tsa wasn't any the wiser and found better not to ask again. 

"Psychiatrist?", Shendu repeated, though he really didn't care. 

"Let's say that he has a very stressing and traumatic life, and the last two years were enough to drive him crazy.", Julia said smiling pleased with her father's annoyed expression. 

"What happened?", Xiao wanted to know. 

"Well, besides all the 'supernatural' events, two years ago he was responsible for my mother's death and-"

"I WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE!", Valmont shouted from the other side of the room and Julia ignored him. 

"And we don't get along at all. And there're several other reasons...", Julia continued and Xiao looked at his siblings. 

"But Bai Tsa, Shendu and Hsi Wu never needed any psychiatrist...", he remarked and Julia looked curiously at them. 

"Why do you say that? What happened?", she wanted to know and Xiao grinned. 

"I'll tell you, they three-"

"Shut up, Xiao!", the three siblings ordered angry and Xiao smiled nervously. 

"-don't like to talk about that. Sorry, but I can't tell you..." 

"Maybe if you tell me, I can help you somehow?", Julia asked tilting her head and approaching of the three demons that now were with their arms crossed over their chests. 

"Only if you could change the past.", Shendu said bitterly and Xiao appeared behind Julia, grinning as usual. 

"Or if you knew some spell to resuscit-"

"No! Xiao, I already said that I do not care anymore about what happened!", Bai Tsa shouted impatiently. 

"Neither do I!", Shendu snapped. 

"Yes, I hate her! She ruined my life!", Hsi Wu finished. The three demons stood up and each one went to a different place, leaving Xiao Fung, Tso Lan, Julia and Valmont alone in the room. 

"Who? What were they talking about...?", Julia asked curious and confused. Xiao opened his mouth to say something. 

"Xiao!", Tso Lan said in a warning tone and Xiao was silent. "Do not!", the moon demon ordered and Xiao Fung lowered his head and nodded. 

~/~/~

Hsi Wu went to the room that he decided to be his. He laid on the bed looking fixedly at the camera. He was watching some recordings that Jade had done before to 'lose' it. 

"Where did you find it?", a voice suddenly asked behind him, and the sky demon flinched. He turned to face the girl trying to hide the camera, but it was already too late. 

"How do you dare to come in my room, mortal?", he asked angry, but it seemed that Julia liked demons. 

"Were you talking about her just a minute ago? She was the one who ruined your life?", Julia asked and Hsi Wu looked away. 

"No, that was a long time ago... but I don't want to talk about that now..." 

"I see. I did not come here to force you to talk, but...", she smirked glancing at the camera. "...that is Jade's camera. I never had a Super Moose camera, that's very old. It was popular seven or eight years ago, though." 

"She... lost it when she was accidentally banished to the Netherworld.", Hsi Wu said unsure and Julia opened a snack packet that she was holding. She took some and offered to Hsi who observed them. He had never seen that cookie type. It seemed to be made of cheese. 

"Tell me... how did you meet each other? 


	13. Julia's Plan

I'm on a good mood today! I wrote another chapter of this fic in Portuguese, so I decided to translate one more chapter now. Always when I write a new chapter, on the same day I'll translate one too. And if I get reviews, I'll translate even faster! XD

Another good reason for my good mood is because this week is Carnaval! I'll have the whole week as holiday! XDDD

Thank you very much for those who reviewed! 

*****

**Chapter 13: Julia has a plan**

"...then she went back to the real world while I stayed in the Netherworld.", Hsi Wu finished while Julia ate the remaining snacks. 

"Interesting... You know, I noticed something while you told me that...", Julia commented calmly and Hsi raised his brows. 

"And what's it?", he asked slowly and Julia smirked. 

"Oh, Hsi... you're in love.", she answered and Hsi gasped. 

"What? I am not!", he stuttered. 

"You're a lousy liar." 

"I'm saying the truth! Why do you think I'm in love?" 

"For what other reason would you keep watching that camera?" 

"That means nothing! You got it all wrong!", he snapped and left the room. 

"Do you want to make a bet?", she proposed and Hsi turned to face her. 

"Bet?" 

"I bet that you don't have courage to kidnap her and bring her to this house.", she challenged. 

"Of course I can do it!", he said angry and then seemed to have remembered of something. "Wait... You two are friends, aren't you? What are you up to, mortal?", he asked in suspicion. 

"I just want to help you to free your siblings. And you want to destroy the Chan clan, don't you? A good way to do that is by kidnapping Jade and another certain person. You can set an ambush.", she replied. 

"Well...", he murmured and Julia had an idea. 

"Look, don't you think it'd be much faster if we got separated in groups and each group went to a portal at the same time?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"We don't have to go together to portal by portal, that would take too long. Let's separate us so that we can free all the demon at once.", she suggested and Hsi thought for a while. It could be really a good idea, but he still felt like Julia had ulterior motives. 

"I think you should talk about that with my older siblings." 

~/~/~

"Jade! How was the surprise?", Jackie asked as his niece came in the shop, but she didn't even bother to pay him any attention. "Jade!", he called again and the girl reluctantly returned. 

"What?" 

"I asked a question. It'd be good if you answered." 

"It was nothing special! I-" She stopped when she saw four pieces of the Pan Ku box and the Meng Hsie pendant on the table. 

"Why are those things are here?", she asked pointing at the objects. 

"Viper went look for them in the South Pole. She was fast since she went by Section 13's jet.", he explained and stood up. "Jade, I'm going to Section 13 now. Captain Black called Viper, Tohru and me. I think he got to gather the J-Team." 

"Oh, ok. Alright.", Jade said dryly and turned to go away. Jackie blinked in confusion. 

"You don't want to come with us?", he asked in disbelief. Jade always enjoyed seeing the J-Team. 

"No, I'll stay here taking care of Jack and Uncle.", she said leaving the room and heading to hers. Jackie stared at her and shrugged. Well, perhaps there was really a first time for everything. 

~/~/~

"It's a good idea, Julia, but...", Tso Lan said thoughtful. 

"But what?" 

"We need the Meng Hsie pendant. And there is only one in the whole world.", Tso Lan said and Julia sighed. How could she have forgotten about that detail? But she was not going to give up that easy. 

"What if we try to free everybody at the same place just like Shendu did in Antarctica?", she suggested and Valmont covered his face with his hand, shaking his head. 

"Julia, don't give them ideas..." 

"That spell cannot be repeated. It would waste all our energy, we could even die.", Tso answered. 

"Wrong! One demon would use too much energy to open eight portals, but five demons to open four portals, considering that the box is already in pieces, won't that cost less energy?", she asked confident and everybody was thoughtful. 

"True... She's right.", Bai Tsa admitted and Tso nodded. 

"But we will still need four humans to carry the Pan Ku box pieces", Shendu reminded and Julia smiled in victory. 

"May I suggest a place where you will get the pendant, Pan Ku box pieces AND two reliable humans?", she asked and the demons glanced at each other. 

"Uh... Yes...?" 

~/~/~

Midnight. Jackie, Viper and Tohru had not returned yet. Probably they and the J-Team were thinking of a way to find the demons and banish them again. Though that would be hard without Uncle... 

Julia, Hsi Wu and Tso Lan were in front of Uncle's Rare Finds. The two demons were in their human forms. Hsi Wu was in his usual disguise of Seymour, wearing an orange T-shirt and jeans. Tso Lan looked like a Chinese man with long hair tied in a cock like the old Chinese men used to do. He was wearing a robe similar to the one he wore in his true form. Julia was wearing a white T-shirt and a jeans jumpsuit, and her hair was tied with a blue ribbon. 

The two demons looked unsure at the shop's door while Julia smirked and eagerly rubbed her hands together. Her plan was going perfectly well! 

"We cannot go in. We have to be invited.", Hsi Wu said remembering of the time when he tried to touch the door and was repelled by the chi-spell. 

"And that is exactly what I am going to do.", she said slowly. Her cold voice and her British accent reminded the two demons of Valmont. She really looked a lot like him when she was on her criminal mood... 

"But you are outside now.", Hsi said and Julia approached of the door. 

"Not for a long time.", she said observing the whole shop and began to walk around it. On the right side, she saw an open window and there was no light in that room. She called the demons, who quietly walked for her. 

"Hsi Wu, take me there.", she asked pointing upward. 

"You know that you can only invite us from the front door, don't you?", Tso made sure and Julia nodded. Hsi brought his wings back and took Julia to the open window. Without touching it he helped Julia to go in. Then he went down again and the two demons returned to the front door. 

Julia glanced around herself and saw that she was in a bedroom and that someone was sleeping there. It was Uncle, and he looked very tired. Julia sighed in relieve, he would not wake up so easily. She nimbly leaped from the window sill and landed softly on her feet in the ground. She went downstairs and took the front door's key that was on a table. She opened the door and invited them. They went came in and suffered no damage at all. Tso Lan wanted to take some books and when they went to the library, they saw the pendant and the Pan Ku box pieces on the table. Julia smiled, shaking her head. 

"That's too easy.", she commented taking the magic objects. 

"What about the two humans?", Hsi askd already guessing the answer. 

"We have to think of a way to take them without attracting the old man's attention.", she replied thoughtfully. Tso Lan was taking a look at the books of the library and choosing the most interesting ones. Hsi glanced at his brother and sighed. He then turned his glance to the girl who now was smirking again. 

"Tso Lan, have you already chosen the books?", she asked. 

"Yes, I have. Why?" 

"Hsi Wu, wait for us outside. We will take care of the first human. And then I will make the other one go directly to you.", she said and pulled Tso by his hand. The moon demon calmly went with her while Hsi left the shop. 

They headed to one of the rooms and she quietly opened the door, looking at who or what was inside. As she had expected, Jack was sleeping there. She smiled and made a gesture at Tso Lan to follow her. When she was very close to Jack's bed, she shook him to wake him up. 

"Uh... What...?", the boy murmured sleepy and Julia stepped back so that he could get up. 

"Wake up, we need you.", she said and when Jack opened his eyes, he only saw Julia with her hands behind her and smirking coldly. 

"Julia? What are you doing her-", he was interrupted when a hand pressed his mouth. He could not see who was doing that, but he guessed that it was an adult man. 

"Now you two wait outside. The second human is on the way.", she said leaving the room and Tso Lan dragged the boy to outside the shop. 

Julia opened another door. Jade was sleeping at this room. Although she had moved to Section 13, she has been able to sleep at Uncle's shop tonight since Viper and Tohru would stay at Section 13. Julia was alleviated because they would not have to waste more time. She approached of Jade and began to shake her. 

"Jade! Jade! Wake up, please!", she pleaded with a worried and scared expression. Jade was the light sleepy, and woke up quickly. 

"Uh? What happened, Julia?", she asked in worry when seeing her friend's fear expression. 

"You have to help me, please! Come with me!", the girl begged pulling Jade's hand. 

"Just a minute, I gotta change my clothes...", Jade said standing up and noticing that she was still wearing a night-dress. 

"No, we don't have time for that! You can change them later! Come with me! Hurry!", Julia said pulling her even more. 

"Ok, ok. What's so urgent, after all?", Jade asked while they went downstairs. 

"Shh... You'll soon see it...", Julia answered and the two girls left the shop. Julia glanced around herself and Jade followed her example. 

"What hap-", Jade stopped when Julia pulled her abruptly to the left side of the street. They ran and as soon as they turned the corner, Jade saw Hsi Wu in his true form with spread wings ready to fly. Tso Lan was behind him also in his true form tightly holding Jack. Jade stepped back. 

"Julia, the demons...", she said turning to Julia, but widened her eyes as she saw her friend smirking. Suddenly, Jade understood everything. She mentally cursed herself for not having understood that before and now she was surrounded by the demons and Julia. "Oh, boy...", Jade murmured before being grabbed by the sky demon and taken to far away from Uncle's shop, as well as Jack. 

~/~/~

"Julia! Why are you doing this to me?", Jade asked angry while trying to break free from Hsi's grip. 

"Trust me, Jade. You will thank me for that someday.", Julia calmly replied. They went in the house where everyone was gathered and after Julia locked the door, Hsi Wu let her go. Jade glanced at the ones who were there. She saw Xiao Fung and Bai Tsa in their true forms, Valmont, and a blond man who she recognized as Shendu. 

"So? Are we going to the South Pole again?", Julia asked cheering up but Tso Lan shook his head. 

"No, I liked your idea about separated groups going to each portal at the same time. It will cost us less energy.", the moon demon said and let Jack go. 

"But... I thought... the pendant...", she stuttered in confusion. 

"This book teaches how to divide the pendant's energy. We will energize the Pan Ku box pieces before we form the groups." 

~/~/~

The J-Team was all gathered in Section 13. Paco also was there, curious to know what had happened to Jade. However, he found better not to talk about that. They could get it in the wrong way. Besides, Jade knew how to take care of herself. 

"I think that if we are dealing with five demons, we should use the talismans.", Viper suggested. 

"Alright, they're kept in the vault. I'll bring them.", Black said and left the room. Jackie's cell phone rang and he answered. 

"Hello?" 

_"AIIIYAAHHH!"_, Uncle yelled and Jackie had to move away the cell phone from his ear to avoid getting deaf. 

"...Uncle?" 

_"Jackieeeee! Jade and Jack disappeared!" _

"What? What do you mean they disappeared?" 

_"Don't you understand what Uncle says?! They are gone! They are not here anymore! One more thing! The Meng Hsie pendant and the Pan Ku box pieces are gone too!" _

"Uncle! You have to come here and make a locator spell to find Shendu!", Jackie pleaded and the rest of the J-Team began to pay more attention to the conversation. 

_"You'll have to do that by yourselves! Uncle needs to rest yet! Besides, the locator spell was used to find the talismans, not Shendu!" _

"Bad day...", Jackie murmured hanging up. 

*****

Oh, this is another short chapter, but if you think I'm very slow, go to my original version and see how long chapter 19 is! It's the longest one so far! I was really inspired! 

Do you like the J-Team? Yes? Well, I don't! Sorry, but they will disappear for a while and will be back only on chapter 18! Do you like demons pairings? Yes? Good, because then you'll enjoy the next chapter that is the start (not a real romance *yet*!) of our most traditional couple with a demon! Ok, I hope you like all the couples!^^ 


	14. Jade's Camera

I'm so sorry for the enforcers. I like them, but they won't appear very much in this fic... ;_;

Get ready... From this chapter, the chapters will definitely become longer! Oh, this one is kinda short yet because I edited it (the original version was very hard to translate and had some forgotten elements. Don't worry). 

Thank you for those who reviewed! 

*****

**Chapter 14: Jade's camera**

"Look, I selected in a draw which humans each demon will stay with during the trip.", Julia said showing a sheet of paper. 

"Wait!", Bai Tsa interrupted glancing at Jack. "Why there are four humans here?" 

"Because we've got four pieces of the Pan Ku box.", Xiao answered. 

"Then tell me, who the portals we are going to open belong to...", she said placing her hands on her hips and raising a brow. 

"Well, one belongs to Tchang Zu, the second belongs to Po Kong, the third belongs to Dai Gui and the fourth belongs to...", he glanced around himself and counted on his fingers until getting what she meant. "...Belongs to Shendu...", he finally said and Bai Tsa rolled her eyes. 

"Exactly. We have to open only three portals! Why is that boy here?", she asked glaring at him and everybody turned their glances to Tso Lan and Julia. 

"...I have forgotten about that detail...", Tso Lan said calmly, though maybe a bit embarrassed. 

"Oh, that's right... I forgot it too... I'm sorry...", Julia said smiling and Bai Tsa slit her eyes, glaring at her. "Relax, we still can use him as a bait for our ambush..." 

"What ambush?", Jade asked alarmed, but everybody ignored her. 

"Well, since I made that mistake, I'll have to rewrite the list. Just some modifications.", Julia said writing something in the paper and when she finished, smiled pleased with herself. "Now it's right. Bai Tsa and Tso Lan go with my father to Spain. Shendu and I go with Jack and Xiao Fung to Japan, and Hsi Wu and Jade go to California.", she said flashing a suggestive smile to the sky demon, who looked away angry. 

Bai Tsa stared at the girl in suspicion. She could not say why, but she felt like everything had already been planned by Julia. Besides, why was she helping the demons? She was a human! Didn't she see that when the demons got to rule the world the humanity would be doomed? That Julia had a very opportunist mind, perhaps all this was part of some plan of hers to banish the demons. 

"Uh... there's a problem in that division...", Shendu remarked and for a moment Julia looked a bit worried. 

"What is it?", she asked. 

"I did not recover all my energy yet. I won't manage to cast the spell to open the portal.", Shendu answered and Julia sighed in relieve. 

"Well, then Xiao does it.", she said simply and a silence filled the room. The wind blew through the window and the atmosphere was extremely heavy. Julia thought of say something but gave that up. Then Tso Lan cleared his throat breaking the silence. 

"Don't worry, Shendu. I can go with you.", he said. Xiao just smiled uneasy, perhaps a bit ashamed. Bai Tsa and Shendu did not say anything, just looked annoyed. 

Jade stared seriously at her friend. She seemed to be planning something, and Jade really hoped it was in favor of the humans. But why did she feel like Julia has chosen her to be with Hsi Wu on purpose? Jade glanced at the other humans in the room. Jack was in silence. He didn't seem to understand very well what was going on. Valmont didn't look happy either. His arms were crossed in front of himself and he was obviously wishing that he could be anywhere but here. 

The she glanced at everybody in the room. Jade noticed that Bai Tsa, Tso Lan, Hsi Wu, Shendu and Valmont were looking at Julia. Except for Shendu, all of them were suspecting of something. Jade believed that they were thinking the same as her. Julia had did all this on purpose, but they couldn't say whose side she was on. Shendu also watched her, but he looked curious. 

~/~/~

"Jade, you can change your clothes here.", Julia said pointing at Hsi Wu's room. Originally, it was a guestroom, and the closet theoretically should have some clothes that could fit her. The two girls went in the room and Julia looked for the clothes in the whole closet until finding a very low-cut shirt and a Capri pants. Jade stared at the shirt and frowned. 

"Uh... Julia... don't you have another shirt?" 

"That was the best I could find.", Julia said shrugging. Jade glanced discouraged at the shirt. She was not used to wear that kind of clothes so tight and low-cut. "Don't worry. It is going to suit you.", Julia encouraged smiling and Jade felt a little better. "I'll look for some clothes for Jack.", she said leaving the room. Jade was turned back to the door, observing the moon through the window. 

~/~/~

Hsi Wu was walking for the corridor until arriving at his room's half-open door. He frowned as he saw that there was light there. When he approached of his room and glanced at inside it, he saw Jade staring at the moon. He stood there, watching her, when suddenly Jade decided to wear the clothes that Julia had given to her. The girl took off her night-dress and Hsi's eyes widened when he saw Jade without bra, only wearing panties. Fortunately he was just seeing her from behind. He backed to the corridor and leaned on the wall, feeling his heart beating incredibly fast. Considering the hot he was feeling, Hsi betted that his face was very red. 

He swallowed and looked at inside the room again. Jade was still in front of the window, and this time she was already wearing a shirt. She just had to wear the pants now. It seemed that she had gotten distracted with something since she was staring at a drawer. Hsi tried to go closer and noticed what she was looking at. 

~/~/~

'That is...', Jade thought staring at the object inside a half-open drawer. She stretched her arm to reach it. 

'My Super Moose Camera... I know it because I wrote JC in the lateral of the camera.', she continued looking in confusion at the two letters. 

'What's this doing here...?'

Jade heard a creak when the door was slightly opened, and she quickly turned around to it. Before she went to the door, she wore the pants. 

~/~/~

Hsi cursed quietly and stood away from the door. He heard Jade approaching and glanced around himself. 

"There's anyone there?", Jade asked opening the door and glancing around herself. There wasn't anyone in the corridor and she shrugged. 

"It might have been just the wind...", she said leaving the room and going back to where the others were. 

~/~/~

"Aright, I already changed my...", Jade said going downstairs and stopped when she saw a woman in the room who was also looking at surprise at Jade. "...clothes...", Jade finished. They kept staring at each other for a long while. The woman had dark blue hair reaching her waist and very light blue eyes. She was wearing a blue T-shirt, a long dark blue skirt reaching her ankles and Chinese-style shoes. 

Jade observed her clothes. Nowadays long skirts were old-fashioned and T-shirts always were worn with a jacket or had color plates. And the hair color?! On the other hand, the woman was horrified with Jade's clothes. Then Jade finally decided to break the silence by laughing weakly. 

"But... what the hell are you wearing?! You look like a nun!", she commented. 

"At least I don't look like a prostitute!", Bai Tsa snapped and Jade frowned a bit embarrassed. Well, she also had found the low-cut a little daring, but it couldn't be helped. Bai Tsa turned to face Tso Lan. 

"What's a nun?", Bai asked in a low voice, though Jade could hear her. 

"It means that you're wearing tacky clothes. Duh!", Jade explained. Bai Tsa wasn't any the wiser. She was used to wear 'tacky' clothes – whatever that meant – like women did in Ancient China. In her empire it was a bit more liberal, but nothing like what Jade was wearing. Jade snorted and lifted her hand. 

"Never mind... Just tell me... Why do you have DARK BLUE HAIR???", Jade yelled and Bai Tsa crossed her arms and snorted. 

"If Shendu can have golden hair, I can have dark blue hair.", the water demon replied and Jade rolled her eyes. Oh yes, the classic rivalry between siblings. 

~/~/~

"When are we going to leave?", Jade wanted to know. 

"As soon as the three jets that will transport us get here.", Julia answered while she watched television. All the demons were in their humans forms. Now Jack was wearing normal clothes too. He was wearing Bermudas and a very large white and red T-shirt. 

They heard a very loud noise coming from the sky. Only Shendu and the humans immediately understood what had just come. They stood up and then the rest of the demons followed them. They left the house and headed to place where the jets were. Jack was still scared with the whole weird situation, but Jade's surprisingly unworried expression made him feel a bit better. 

Unfortunately his relief didn't last too long. Jade was going to California while he was going to Japan. H would be in the other side of the world, very far away from Jade and his parents. And on top of that, he would be in the company of a criminal girl and three demons. He wondered why he had to the most unlucky human of the group and sighed. 

Jack drew a deep breathe and got in the jet right after Julia. Shendu and Xiao Fung got in after them. Jade and Hsi Wu got in another jet and Valmont and Bai Tsa got in the third one. Each human was carrying a Pan Ku box piece, except Julia who had the pendant. Just as a souvenir, since it had already lost all its energy when Tso Lan had used it to energize the box pieces. 

~/~/~

Jade and Hsi didn't even talk to each other during the trip. Because California was relatively near San Francisco, it didn't take too long to get there. 

"Brother Shendu said that the portal is inside a studio...", Hsi Wu murmured rubbing his chin in deep thought. The name was 'Mega Galactic Studios', but that was not enough information. Of course Jade was not going to tell where the portal was, and actually Hsi Wu wasn't even managing to glance at her. Whenever he did it, he remembered her in that room and blushed. 

"Hsi Wu! You're all red! Are you all right?", Jade asked and Hsi Wu woke from his thoughts with a startle. 

"Uh... I... yes... I'm all right...", Hsi stuttered and when Jade was about to say something, they stopped in front of a sign with big letters saying 'Mega Galactic Studios'. Hsi smiled in victory. He hasn't thought that it would be so easy. Jade glanced around herself and scratched her head in confusion. The sky demon pulled her hand and they approached of the entrance. Then a security guard stopped them. 

"Pass!", the guard said seriously. 

"That's what we were going to do until you stood in our way!", Hsi snapped pushing past him and the security guard stopped them again. 

"You cannot enter here without a pass.", he said to clear up the pun and Hsi slit his eyes. 

"I'll give you a pass...!", he said and Jade flinched quickly closing her eyes when Hsi Wu knocked out the security guard. 

"Let's go!", the sky demon ordered angry and Jade passed glancing at the unconscious guard. She glanced around herself again still disoriented. It seemed that this place had been strongly reformed, since it was so different. In fact, the whole city was very different from what Jade remembered. 

After hours and hours wandering around the studio, they found nothing. The piece of the Pan Ku box didn't glow in any moment and the sky demon even checked if this was the right piece. After all, the trigram had to represent the thunder. If it was of another element, it wasn't going to work. But it was indeed the thunder trigram, and they searched for the portal for some more time. 

Now it was already noon, and they have not found the portal yet. Jade wasn't getting to walk anymore. Besides the fatigue, she was very hungry. Hsi Wu also looked tired. Perhaps not physically tired, but he was too frustrated to continue this useless search. He just wished he could communicate with Shendu somehow and ask why he didn't get to find the portal. 

"Let's eat something... I'm starving...", Jade complained and Hsi sighed. 

"Yes, we have nothing to do here anyway...", he agreed and Jade was glad that she didn't have to insist. They left the studio and that security guard was not there anymore. Another man was standing in for him, and this one didn't even suspect of them. After a short while, they found a snack bar and Jade ran to there. She ordered a hamburger. Hsi Wu didn't understand what was in the menu, then he also ordered a hamburger and just hoped it was good. 

They two were in silence. They wanted to say something, but whenever they were about to do it, they gave up of the idea. And Hsi was still fighting to forget the thought of Jade in his room and the camera. On the other hand, Jade wanted exactly the opposite. She couldn't stop wondering why her camera was there, in Julia's house's guestroom. After all, the list time she had seen that camera it was with... Hsi Wu! 

Jade looked at him and he noticed that he was staring at her until now and looked away uneasy. She really didn't know what to think about the demon's strange behavior, Julia and her opportunist character, and her camera. 

"Hsi Wu...", Jade finally started, looking at the table and playing with the straw of her soda with her fingers. 

"What?", he tried to sound sharp. 

"What did you do to my camera after I returned to this world and left you in the Netherworld?", she asked thoughtful and Hsi bit his lip. That question has been very sudden and at first he didn't know what to say. 

"I... stayed with that for a while... but then I lost it somewhere...", he said half-unconsciously and then noticed that this answer had not been very convincing, since Jade looked at him in suspicion. 

"'Lost it somewhere'...?", she repeated raising a brow and Hsi swallowed. What should he say? That he had spent the last years watching her in the camera, admiring her and at the same time hating her so much that this hate turned against him in the form of a new feeling... the so called love? No! He himself refused to believe it. That was just something that Julia had used to confuse him. 

"Hello?", Jade said aloud still waiting for an answer. Hsi Wu didn't care, he just heard her voice. When he heard it, he looked at Jade deeply in her eyes. She wasn't a child anymore, now she was a beautiful woman. And yet her young and strong spirit was still alive within her. He could see it in her eyes. 

Hsi leaned back in the chair and sighed. He didn't know why a demon like him was thinking about those things. But he really didn't care. He was calmer now, and decided that before wonder about this strange and confusing feeling, he had to carry his mission out and free Tchang Zu. He looked at Jade and noticed that she was very impatient and angry. 

"Did you say something?", he asked cynically and Jade snapped. 

"What exactly happened to my camera? Tell me the truth!", she demanded trying to keep her self-control and not to strangle him. Hsi smiled and shook his head. 

"That is not important, Jade. I already said that I don't know where it is. And honestly, if I were you I'd be more worried about other things." 

"Oh, really? Like what?" 

"Who cares about a stupid camera when your world is about to be conquered by demons... again?", he pronounced the last word very slowly and his expression demonstrated pure hate. Jade snorted and looked away. 

'Arrogant demon!'

*****

Whoa! Now it's me who must apologize to VampireNaomi! This chapter has a strong influence from Ni Tang, mainly in the part when Hsi Wu and Jade are looking for the portal in California! Gomen nasaaaai! GOMEN KUDASAIIIIIII!!!! *Ritsu mode*

Changing the subject, I'd like to report a translation problem. There're some words in Portuguese that don't have a unique translation in English, so I'm forced to change its meaning sometimes. For example, Julia is not opportunist. The word 'opportunist' has a pejorative meaning in Portuguese, and I don't want you to think about her that way. Would the word 'calculating' suit better? 


	15. The Arch of the Destiny

You see the title? Sounds romantic, don't you think? Now read the chapter and I bet that in the end you'll be wondering: "Why did that stupid author choose a title like that? It has NOTHING to do with this chapter!" 

Thank you to those who reviewed!^_^ 

***** 

**Chapter 15: The Arch of the Destiny**

The hamburgers were served and Hsi still watched for a while how Jade did to eat it. He tried to follow her example. A woman came in the snack bar and distributed some pamphlets. She gave one for Jade and one for Hsi Wu, although they were identical. They two glanced at the pamphlets not paying much attention. Hsi left it on the table and Jade kept it in her pants pocket. 

"Well... and now?", Jade asked tapping her fingers against the table impatiently and Hsi Wu sighed. He just wanted to communicate with Shendu. 

"We have to continue seeking...", Hsi said sounding tired, though what he was feeling was pure frustration. 

"Again?! That's impossible! If the portal didn't open in the Mega Galactic Studios then it probably can't be opened ever again! We are wasting time here!", Jade said slightly annoyed and Hsi shrugged. 

"What can I do? I cannot just go back like this. Besides, Tchang Zu is my oldest brother. I can't ignore him so easily.", Hsi explained while they stood up and left the snack bar. 

"Tch! Whatever. But couldn't we first... uhn...", she decreased her voice tone as she spoke. 

"What?" 

Jade blushed a bit and crossed her arms in front of her chest as if she wanted to hide something. 

"I wanna buy new clothes...", she said and he raised his brows. 

"Why? You're already dressed." 

"I know, but I don't like these..." 

"What's the problem?" 

"It is... too low-cut...", Jade murmured. 

"I think it's enough as long as you're dressed. We can't stop looking for my oldest brother's portal just because you want new clothes.", Hsi Wu said and Jade placed her hands on her hips. 

"But I only want a new shirt! Don't you-", she was interrupted when two men walked behind her whistling and making some passes at her, which made Jade feel quite embarrassed. Before she could do something herself, Hsi frowned and approached of them. He grabbed them from their collar and his eyes glowed red. 

"Nobody does that sort of thing to my slave in front of her owner!", the sky demon hissed and the men's eyes widened. Hsi hit the men's head against each other and threw them at the direction of an alley. 

"Hey! How long have you thought that I'm your slave?", she asked glaring at him. 

"Since I kidnapped you.", Hsi answered simply and then found himself unconsciously staring at her shirt low-cut. He blushed a bit and looked away quickly. Jade opened her mouth to snap something, but he cleared his throat and spoke before her. 

"Perhaps you really need other clothes. You can buy it, as long as you don't take too long to do it.", he said and Jade made a surprised face. She didn't expect that the sky demon would agree in letting her to change clothes. 

~/~/~

"I am already losing my patient, mortal! I will ask only once again! Where is the damn portal?", Bai Tsa asked with her eyes glowing red and Valmont stepped back. 

"I already said that I didn't see it! Shendu did! When you're possessed, sometimes you can't see what happens around you!", he tried to explain and Bai slit her eyes. 

"You HAVE to remember of something! How did the landscape look like?" 

"I don't remember, that was a long time ago.", Valmont replied and Bai grabbed him by his collar and hit him violently against the wall. 

"All right. I have a very efficient method to refresh humans' memory.", she hissed and Valmont gulped sure that it wouldn't be very healthy. On that moment, his videophone rang. Valmont slowly took it from his pocket and pressed a button. 

"W-What is it?", he asked and Julia's image appeared in the screen. 

_"Dad, Tso Lan is asking if you already opened the portal."_, Julia said and Bai pushed Valmont so that she could see the screen. 

"Where is Shendu? I want to speak to him now!", she demanded and Shendu took the videophone from Julia's hand. 

_"What do you want?" _

"Where is the portal? Why can't you give me right information?" 

_"I gave you right information, but it's not my fault that you have no brains." _

"What?! How do you dare???" 

_"I was very clear. I said that the portal was three kilometers to the south of the downtown." _

"But we already went there and we DID NOT FIND ANY PORTAL!!!" 

_"Really...? Hmm... Perhaps I meant three kilometers to the north..."_, Shendu said cynically just to annoy her and Bai Tsa crushed the videophone with her hand, clenching her teeth. 

"IDIOT!!!", she shouted throwing the videophone against a wall. It dropped in the ground completely destroyed and Valmont stared at it in horror. 

"Ahh! You broke the videophone!", Valmont yelled in desperation and Bai Tsa shrugged. 

"It's all right. We do not need Shendu's orientations to find the portal. Since you don't remember where it is, we will have to seek for the whole city until finding it.", Bai Tsa said calmly and pulled him by his wrist. 

~/~/~

Jade was glancing at the whole store, looking for some clothes. She finally chose a black shirt and showed it to Hsi Wu. 

"What do you think about this one?", she asked and Hsi sighed. 

"Yeah, it's great. Come on with that already.", he said impatiently. Jade observed the shirt a bit more and decided to try it. She ran to a fitting room. When she entered and closed the curtain, the Pan Ku box piece in her hand began to glow. 

"Oh, no...", Jade murmured as she quickly understood that a portal was near. The Pan Ku box piece rose in the air from her hands and hit a symbol that had appeared in the mirror. Jade stepped back while she watched how the glow intensified. 

Surprisingly, no portal was opened. However, Hsi Wu knew what was wrong. The portal had been sealed by the chi-wizard and only the Meng Hsie pendant could open it again. Now Hsi had just to chant the spell to activate the power of the pendant contained in the box. The sky demon drew a deep breathe and began to concentrate. A blueish energy was emanated from his body and he chanted some magic words while his eyes glowed red. The people at the store panicked and ran away. 

Hsi Wu fell on his knees very tired and Tchang Zu stepped out and glanced around himself slightly confused. After all, his portal was in a different place. Seven or eight years ago it was inside a movie studio, and now it was in a clothes store. 

"Welcome, Tchang Zu.", Hsi greeted and Tchang glared at him slitting his eyes, making Hsi Wu flinch. 

"Ah... I mean... Master.", he corrected and his oldest brother nodded. 

"Where are the others?", Tchang wanted to know. 

"They are freeing Dai Gui and Po Kong.", Hsi answered and the thunder demon noted Jade's presence. 

"You! You're from the Chan clan! You'll pay!", he shouted stepping forward, but Hsi Wu stood between them to stop his brother. 

"No, we need her for an ambush!" 

"Ambush?", Tchang repeated raising a brow. 

"The others can explain it later. Brother Tso Lan said that we must wait for them to return in our hideout.", the sky demon said and Tchang raised his glance in thought. 

"I see. Very well.", he said and took his human form. He had a blond hair, darker than Shendu's, reaching his shoulders, and his eyes were blue. He left the store while Jade and Hsi Wu kept staring at him. Jade slowly approached of him and cleared her throat. 

"Uhn... T-Thanks... for saving me...", she said in a low voice and Hsi Wu blushed a bit, but snorted in despise to hide it. 

"Don't mix things up. I didn't save you. Brother Tso made clear that he wanted to use you as a bait for ambush.", he said. Jade frowned and held her hands in her pockets. She felt a piece of paper and took it. It was the pamphlet that she had received at the snack bar. She gave a fast glance at the pamphlet and only then the understood why the portal was in a clothes store. 

The pamphlet had a map to indicate the location of a certain store, and in the map Jade could see that the clothes store formerly was the Mega Galactic Studios, that some years ago had moved to the place where she and Hsi Wu had spent the whole day searching for the portal. 

"Oh... So that's why I found the studios were kinda different...", she murmured and Hsi Wu pushed her back. 

"Stop daydreaming and let's go." 

~/~/~

"My legs are aching... I am hungry... I am hot... I am tired... I am thirsty...", Valmont complained in a low voice while he and the water demon walked. Now it was night and they could see the beautiful full moon. "It's all Shendu's fault! If I had never known him, my life today would be much better, and certainly I would have never even heard about demons.", he continued muttering alone. 

"You're right!", Bai Tsa said suddenly and Valmont raised his brows in surprise. 

"I am?" 

"Shendu is indeed an idiot! The only thing he can do well is to disturb everyone's life! If he weren't family, I would have already get rid of him a long time ago!", she snapped. 

"If he disturbs everybody so much, why don't you just get rid of him already?" 

"Because... well, because my older siblings would not approve such thing..." 

"You know, they say that when two people fight a lot it is because they actually like each other.", Valmont said trying to suggest some sarcasm. 

"Well, like you said... 'people'! We two are demons." 

"It was just way of speaking. All right, when two *beings* fight a lot...", Valmont corrected and Bai snorted. 

"Nonsense... Like if I were going to take seriously what a human says. You may think that have lived with Shendu for a bit more than one years was bad, but try to live with him for thousands of years. It is horrible, the happiest day of my life was when I moved to Rome and was very far away from him." 

"You really don't know how to see the bright side of the life. You should not think that the happiest thing that happened to you is to get rid of something bad, you should be even happier when something good happens to you." 

Bai stared at Valmont raising her brows. 

"You don't seem to be the type of person who would come up with that phrase.", she remarked. 

"Actually, it was my psychiatrist who said that." 

"Psychiatrist? You humans are really weird..." 

"Well, unlike the demons, we humans have some difficulties in get over a wife's death and a rebel daughter turning against us. I had to move back to England, you know." 

"Back? You are from England?", she asked very surprised. 

"Uh... Yes, why?" 

"...Nothing...", she said shaking her head. 

"CONGRATULATIONS!", a man yelled suddenly appearing in front of them. A woman also approached and hung a necklace in their necks. The necklace was formed by some little and shining green and brown stones and had a small metal object in the form of two bells. 

"Uh?" was the only thing they could say. 

"According to an old legend of this villa, when a man and a woman pass together underneath this arch...", the man pointed at an arch above them, where there were two bells hanging. "...at the exact moment when the bells ring, and in a night of full moon, they will be happy forever. And those necklaces will give you luck.", the man explained and Valmont and Bai glanced at each other and then looked in annoyance at him. 

"I will never have anything to do with him/her!", they two snapped at the same time pointing at each other and the couple before them laughed. 

"You see? They really match!", the man commented and the woman nodded. 

"Only a warning: never throw those necklaces away! That would bring a great bad luck for you.", the woman alerted. 

"Bah! I don't believe in those humans' superstitions! They're all unfounded! Let's get away from here!", Bai Tsa said pulling Valmont by his sleeve while the other two watched them happily. The water demon started to leave the villa making sure that Valmont was with her all the time. 

~/~/~

"Here it is.", Shendu said when the group finally arrived at the temple where the mountain demon's portal was. Fortunately the place was deserted. Julia took the Pan Ku box piece from Jack's hands and approached of the temple. It began to glow and rose in the air, then it hit the symbol in the temple's door. Tso Lan concentrated and chanted the short spell, but for everyone's surprise, the portal did not open. 

"Eh...? Where is the portal?", Julia asked in confusion and Jack shrugged. 

"Thank goodness. Thus it's one demon too little to worry about.", he said. 

"Brother Tso, are you sure that you did it right?", Xiao asked. 

"Of course yes. I... don't understand...", the moon demon answered sounding tired. 

"But you lost energy... the portal should have been open now...", Shendu said thoughtful, as well as Tso Lan and Julia. Xiao Fung scratched his head and grinned. 

"Perhaps sister Po's portal requires more energy because of its 'extra-big' size!", he said joking but nobody laughed. 

"Don't be ridiculous, Xiao! Why don't you stop babbling nonsense and try to think of something useful?", Shendu snapped. 

"Wait, he is right.", Tso Lan said and everybody stared at him in surprise. 

"I am?", Xiao asked cheerfully. 

"He is?", Shendu, Julia and Jack asked at the same time. 

"The energy in the Pan Ku box used here to open the portal normally should be the as the one used by the Immortals. But after the portal was sealed, the only magic able to open it is the pendant's, not the box's or ours. We have just to give our energy to the pendant so that it will turn it into power to break the chi-spell that is sealing the portal AND open it. The portal is very big, so the pendant needs more energy.", Tso explained. 

"Well, I suppose Xiao's energy can help.", Shendu said and Tso Lan shook his head. 

"I already lost too much energy. If only Xiao helps me now, the portal won't open and we two will lose even more energy. After that, it can't be helped." 

"So what do you suggest?" 

"You have to help us." 

"What?! I can't! I still didn't recover all my energy since your releasing in Antarctica!" 

"Calm down, Shendu. I am sure that you will not die. Besides, you have no choice." 

"You'll get it, Shendu!", Julia encouraged smiling and after a while, the fire demon reluctantly nodded. 

***** 

Did you understand Tso Lan's explanation? Neither did I! o.O In Portuguese it's much clearer... 


	16. Attempt of Escape

I... I know that VampireNaomi said that I don't need to apologize, but... I must do it! At least for the part where Po Kong is freed! But it couldn't be helped. Even so, I feel kind of... guilty... ;_; You'll soon see why... 

***** 

**Chapter 16: Attempt of Escape**

Tso Lan, Xiao Fung and Shendu stood side by side in front of the Japanese temple. They began to concentrate, and when they chanted the spell, the Pan Ku box piece became blueish. The portal still took some minutes to open. When it was fully open, Tso Lan and Shendu fell to the ground. 

Julia was eager to see the mountain demon. Considering the portal's size, she should be a very big, strong and powerful demon. On the other hand, Jack widened his more and more as the enormous demon stepped out. 

Po Kong looked at down to see five humans, two of them seeming very tired. Because of that, Xiao Fung decided to take the initiative. 

"Welcome, sister Po.", he said grinning. 

"Oh, it's you...", she replied as she understood that three of the humans were actually her brothers. 

"She is... monstrous...!", Jack said trembling. And Julia smirked in victory when nobody noticed it. 

"I don't understand. First, you, Tso Lan, Bai Tsa and Hsi Wu mysteriously disappear, and now my portal is opened for no apparent reason and here I find you three...", Po said. 

"It is a long story... Now we have to return to San Francisco.", Xiao said and Po sighed. 

"It seems that I have to take a human form, right?", she asked a little frustrated and Xiao nodded. 

Immediately, Po shrank to the form of a middle-aged Japanese woman. Her hair was black and tied in a cock, and her eyes were dark brown. She was wearing a blue and yellow Japanese kimono. 

"Are you really going to wear those?", Xiao asked. 

"What do you mean? Japanese people don't wear kimono nowadays?", she asked in confusion. 

"Well, I don't know, but anyway you would attract attention wearing a Japanese kimono in San Francisco." 

"All right, I understand. But what do I have to wear, then?" 

Xiao glanced around himself. Tso Lan and Shendu were still laying in the ground, apparently unconscious. Too bad, because the dragon knew this age and could suggest something. Xiao Fung himself had seen few women since he was freed and the clothes they were wearing wouldn't look good on his big sister. He then looked at Julia and smiled pleased. 

"Wear the same clothes as her.", he said turning to face Po Kong and pointing at the girl. The mountain demon observed Julia and substituted her blue kimono for a white T-shirt and a jeans jumpsuit, and her hair was tied in a ponytail with a blue ribbon. 

"What?! Why do we have to wear the exact same clothes?! That's so ridiculous!", Julia complained angry. 

"Hey, Po. Turn your hair white and your eyes blue.", Xiao suggested and Po did as he said, thinking that dark hair might not be very common nowadays. Xiao looked at Julia and pointed at his sister. 

"Look! It's you in 50 years.", he said laughing and Julia turned pale when she used her imagination and saw herself exactly like that when she's almost 60 years old. 

"AHHHHH!!!!!!!" 

"Very funny, Xiao...", Po said sarcastically. The wind demon was dying laughing while Julia continued shocked and Jack rolled his eyes. Weren't the demons supposed to be serious? 

~/~/~

Everybody in the party ignored Bai Tsa's sudden and aloud laughter. That had already happened the whole night and nobody cared anymore. Some kilometers from downtown, a local holiday was being commemorated. Because Bai Tsa and Valmont had already had enough of searching for the portal and finding nothing, they had decided to stay in the party where people were serving free food and drink. Valmont took the chance to show to the water demon the drinks that didn't exist or weren't very common in the time before she was banished. 

After a while, the alcohol began to have an effect, despite she was a demon, and they two began to talk like if they were great friends. And drinking meanwhile! Though he was still more sober than her... 

"Ahahahahaha! I knew that Shendu was stupid, but not so much!", Bai said wiping her tears. 

"And then he still blamed us.", Valmont added before sipping his drink again and the water demon laughed a bit more. 

"You know... when I saw you for the first time... I thought you were a complete idiot... haha, who would say...", Bai managed to say. Valmont looked at her from the corner of his eye. If she has just said that, it was because she should be very drunk. Perhaps he could take advantage of that and escape. He smirked pleased. 

"Uh... Would you like more whisky?", he asked. 

"Oh, yeah... more whisky!", she said lifting her glass and Valmont stood up. 

"Then wait here. I'll bring more." 

"Uh-huh...", Bai murmured nodding and Valmont slowly walked away. He was in the middle of an isolated city, he had to find a way to communicate with his jet's pilot who had brought them to Spain. 

The place was very crowded and very far away from a big city. He would have to manage in this villa and find a telephone. He walked a lot until finally finding a police station. Certainly there was a telephone there. However, Valmont hesitated a little. After all, he was an internationally wanted criminal, and perhaps go in a police station wasn't the wiser thing to do. But what difference would it make now? He wasn't even very sober, and taking the risk of being arrested looked a better idea than continue being the demons' slave and contribute for the world's destruction. And this time they didn't even bother to offer him a reward. 

Valmont stretched his back and tightened his tie. He entered slowly, trying to look completely serious. Some policemen were sleeping, others eating, playing cards, reading... 

"Ehr... Excuse me, could I use the telephone?", Valmont asked and the policemen didn't even bother to glance at him. 

"Sure, it's in the last room of the corridor.", a police officer who was reading newspaper said pointing at a corridor behind him. Valmont didn't say anything else and went straight to the room. This room had a door that leaded to the party, and on the other side there was an old-modeled telephone. Well, that would do. He dialed a phone number and the pilot quickly answered. 

_"Hello?"_

"We have no time! You must come here right now!", Valmont said in a low voice, although with notable urgency. 

_"Boss...? What's the matter? Where are you?"_

"Look, you cannot come very close, or else that demon will find out! To the south, between here the city where you are, there's a kind of-", he was interrupted when he felt a hand pressing his shoulder. Valmont turned around and was pale when seeing that it was Bai Tsa. 

"I was looking for you... did you really think... that you can escape from me?", she said seriously, despite her hiccups and dizziness. "Haha... humans are dumb... instead of trying to run away, you try to hide...", she said tightening his shoulder, which made him flinch. She grabbed his hand and dragged him out the police station. "Anyway... where's the whisky you were going to bring?", she asked and Valmont had another idea. 

"All right! I'll bring it this time! I promise!", he said trying to free his hand. Bai Tsa stopped and was thoughtful for a short while. 

"No, I have a better idea. Let's free my brother Dai Gui already. We are here fooling around way too much.", she said and Valmont gave up of trying to break free. 

"Could you at least... let me rest? What about a hotel?", Valmont suggested as his last attempt of freedom. 

"All right... but you will not escape from me.", she repeated pointing at him and dragged Valmont with her back to the party. 

~/~/~

After Po Kong had been freed – and learned more about current clothes – everybody decided to go to a hotel in order to give a rest to Tso Lan and Shendu. In the hotel, after some discussion, they decided that the two children would stay at the same room with a demon to make sure that they would not try to escape. It happened to be Xiao Fung the chosen one for that mission, though he was quite irresponsible. 

Jack was horrified. He was on the other side of the world, far away from his relatives, in the company of four demons and a criminal little girl. And on this exact moment, he found himself staring at the wind demon who was reading a magazine that was upside down. Jack wanted at least to be with Jade. She would know what to do and come up with a plan to escape. Julia came in the room cheerfully and Jack snorted. That girl was so annoying! 

"Hey, Xiao. Can I and Jack go to the hotel's restaurant?", she asked and the wind demon shrugged. 

"Sure.", he answered calmly. He trusted her, since the girl had helped them a lot so far, and apparently she was really on their side. 

"Jack, we have to talk.", she said to the boy, who just frowned. He sighed and hopelessly left the room, followed by Julia. 

~/~/~

"So that's our hideout?", Tchang Zu asked pointing at the mansion. 

"Uh... yes.", Hsi Wu answered. Tchang observed the house and what was around it. Although it was a big house, it was well-located and could be a great place to hide. 

"Well, it is not as big as a palace, but it will do.", he approved smiling pleased and Hsi rolled his eyes. How could Tchang Zu think about palace in a time like this? Besides, now he would have to be even more careful, since the Chans probably were hunting them for the whole city and Jade could end up running away. 

It seemed that Jade had really became his slave. They were always together and nobody has said that she was his slave, but nobody has said hat she wasn't either! In fact, he had already declared that she was his slave. Then, none of his siblings could take her from him or hurt her. 

"Hsi Wu, is that human your slave?", Tchang suddenly asked as if he could read his brother's mind and Hsi woke from his thoughts with a startle. 

"Uh... Yes... she is.", he answered. Jade frowned and placed her hands on her hips. 

"I already said I'm not your slave!", she snapped. 

"No, she really is! She's just a little stubborn because I acquired her recently.", Hsi said rather nervously. 

"I-", Jade started but Hsi interrupted her with a strange glance. 

_"Isn't that true, slave?"_, he hissed and stepped back so that Tchang Zu could not see him. Jade opened her mouth to protest again when she saw Hsi Wu making a gesture to her to agree. Considering his expression, maybe it was better if she agreed by now. 

"Uh... yes?", she answered unsure and Tchang turned to face his brother. 

"Then tell her to change her clothes, or else I won't take the responsibility.", he warned and went in the house. Hsi Wu sighed in relieve. Because Tchang Zu had been freed in a clothes store, Jade could not buy another shirt, and that was really dangerous. The girl stared at the door before approaching of the sky demon. 

"Hsi Wu... what did he mean?", she asked carefully and Hsi looked angry at her. 

"Are you crazy?! If you weren't my slave, who knows what he could have done to you!", he said trying to keep a low voice tone so that he wasn't heard by his oldest brother. 

"What do you mean?" 

"If you're mine, nobody will have the right to touch you. Even so, Tchang Zu is strong and could easily try something.", Hsi said crossing his arms in thought and Jade gulped, seeing his point. 

"So... he can...?" 

"Perhaps. Tchang Zu is the only one of our family who already did that to some of our slaves, just because he's stronger than us. But they were all insolent slaves anyway, so we didn't care." 

"Oh no... not that! What do I do?", Jade said more to herself than to Hsi and he looked at her. 

"Just change your clothes and he'll forget about it." 

Jade stared at him for a while, surprised. Was the sky demon beginning to worry about her? And why that sudden change of attitude? 

~/~/~

Valmont and Bai Tsa were staring at the room. All the rooms of all the hotels in the villa were taken, and this one was the only thing that they got. Bai Tsa clenched her fists trying to contain her annoyance. 

"You humans suck...", she murmured and Valmont gave her an angry look. 

"Only some, don't try to generalize.", he said. 

"Not even cockroaches would be pleased with a room like this!" 

"What do you want me to do? I'm not the owner of the hotel, and this was the best we could find." 

"Yeah... I think it really can't be helped... We can't even see the sea from here...", she muttered looking through the window and Valmont rolled his eyes. Of course not! They were very far away from the sea! He sighed and glanced around himself. 

"So... where am I going to sleep?", Valmont asked guessing that she would want to stay with the only bed in the room. 

"In the bed, of course! Silly question...", she replied. 

"What about you...?" 

"I won't sleep... I'll keep an eye on you...", she answered leaning on the window. Valmont shrugged and lied in the bed. His plan was to try to escape when the demon slept or got distracted. The problem was that he himself was barely getting to stand up, and the water demon was going to keep an eye on him for the whole night. And after all those drinks, he ended up sleeping more than quickly. 

Bai Tsa continued watching the party in the city under the full moonlight. This city seemed to be very traditional, and didn't have technology everywhere like in San Francisco. On one side, that was good since Bai haven't got used to the whole technology yet. Then again, that was bad because she still liked new things. 

Her eyes started to seem heavy and she blinked several times in order to stay awake. She turned to see Valmont and smiled. The first time she had seen him, he had a very weird appearance for a human being – thanks to Shendu, who was modifying his face with potions – but now he looked even kind of cute. And fortunately, he was no longer possessed by Shendu, the one who Bai Tsa despised the most. 

She didn't even know why she was thinking about it – probably it was because she had drunk too much – but when she looked at Valmont, she remembered of someone. For some strange reason, she couldn't remember of who exactly, but it was somebody that she had seen somewhere in Europe, many years ago. 

Bai Tsa tried harder to stay awake and sat softly in the bed, beside him. Thousands of years ago, people with his appearance were very rare, found only in some few regions of the planet. And since Bai Tsa enjoyed new things, that appearance of his attracted her. Although she had used to kill that type of men later... 

She softly straightened his hair and tried to remember of the person who reminded her of him so much. She had never thought of that even when she saw him for the first time, but now the curiosity was killing her! 

She remembered nothing, though. Her dizziness began to get worse and her thoughts were more and more confusing. Suddenly, the bed looked extremely comfortable and the filthy room wasn't bothering her anymore. She knew that she had to keep an eye on Valmont, but she was really very sleepy. 


	17. The Slaves

I'm on a good mood today!^_^ Although tomorrow is Monday and I'll be forced to go to the school again... aww, one more week of suffering... Fortunately I'm not trying medicine, or else I'd study on Saturdays too! (Gaahhh! What a nightmare! @_@) 

Thank you for all those who reviewed! You really encourage me to continue posting and writing!^^ 

Warning: Sorry for the OOC, but this chapter required that... 

***** 

**Chapter 17: The Slaves**

"So, Jack... did you know that our parents were enemies in the past?", Julia asked. 

"No.", the boy answered dryly. 

"Yeah, I bet your parents never told anything about the Dark Hand. Typical behavior of a happy family...", she remarked bitterly. 

"Look, it's not my fault if you don't like your father. You should have thought twice before being born.", Jack said sarcastically crossing his arms and Julia frowned. 

"Actually, I was exactly planning something to solve all my problems. With my father, with my mother, with the Chans, with the demons... and with you.", she said, this getting Jack's interest. 

"What problems with me? I never did anything to you.", he defended. 

"Oh, but one thing you did. You exist, don't you?", she said relaxing a bit and Jack raised a brow, not understanding what she meant. "But don't worry. Right now I just want to make a quite simple question.", she continued. 

"Uh... What is it?" 

"Have you already been in Hong Kong?" 

"Of course, plenty of times." 

"Do you know a library called 'Zhou Wen'?" 

"I know where it is, but I never saw what is inside." 

Julia rolled her eyes. 

"Books." 

"But it's not only that!", Jack snapped. 

"I know, there are magic books and some secrets maps and artifacts. Only chi-wizards can enter that library, that's why you have never been able to go there." 

"And why do you need me?", he asked losing his patience. 

"I want you to show me where that library is." 

"Why do you want to go to that library?" 

Now it was Julia's turn to get angry. 

"IT DOESN'T MATTER! YOU WILL SHOW ME WHERE THAT LIBRARY IS OR I'LL HAVE TO USE LESS HEALTHY METHODS TO FORCE YOU TO SPEAK!!!", she shouted hitting the table with her fist. When she drew a deep breath and calmed down, glanced around herself and saw that all the restaurant was staring at her. Julia blushed a little and Jack chuckled. 

"The library is in Hong Kong, not in Japan.", he reminded and Julia stood up. 

"But Hong Kong is near Japan. We just need help from someone else...", she said gesturing at him to follow her and they two left the restaurant going back to one of the rooms. 

~/~/~

Jade came in Hsi Wu's room to look for some clothes in the closet. She had already sought in about three rooms, but she didn't get to find any clothes for women. All of them were for children or men. But then she found a normal T-shirt that was kind of large for her, but it would have to do. 

When she was wearing the T-shirt, she noted something from the corner of her eye. Her Super-Moose Camera. Jade slowly approached of it and took it. She lied on her stomach in the bed and began to watch the records that had been done, surprised as she saw that some of them hadn't been made by her, but by Hsi Wu and Xiao Fung. 

Just for curiosity, she began to watch only those recordings. They were all showing the Netherworld or their siblings, though they didn't know they were being filmed. 

Jade sighed and turned off the camera. She wished that there was a way to at least tell her uncles where she was. She was especially worried about Uncle, and hoped that he was feeling better. After all, as well as Shendu, he had wasted a lot of energy. She then seemed to have remembered something and drew a deep breath. 

"I got it!", she said pleased and went downstairs where Tchang Zu was. Hsi Wu, who had been making sure that she wouldn't escape so far, followed her. She reached the telephone and Hsi Wu grabbed her arm. 

"I already said clearly that you are not allowed to use the telephone.", he hissed angry and Tchang just watched them. 

"I'm not going to phone Jackie, I want to speak to Shendu.", she said and the sky demon raised a brow. 

"Shendu? What do you want with him?" 

"I have to know something very important.", she replied and after some hesitation, Hsi let her go, and Jade quickly dialed Julia's videophone number. 

_"Hello?"_, Julia answered. 

"Julia, is Shendu there with you?", Jade asked eagerly and Julia was silent for a while. 

_"Uh... Kind of... actually, I was entering his room right now. But why?"_, she asked in confusion. 

"Let me speak to him.", Jade asked. 

~/~/~

Julia gave an interrogative glance to Jack, who just shrugged. Shendu and Tso Lan noticed the two children coming in the room. 

"What is it?", Tso Lan asked. 

"Uh... It's for you...", Julia said handing over the videophone to Shendu. 

"What?" 

_"Shendu, are you alright?"_, Jade asked and the two demons were equally confused. 

"Uh?" 

_"How are you feeling?"_, Jade asked again and Shendu was thoughtful for a moment. What kind of joke was that? 

"Yes, I am fine... But why do you ask me that?" 

_"How good to know that! Bye-bye!"_, Jade cheerfully said hanging up and the group in the room glanced at each other in confusion until Julia decided to break the silence. 

"Shendu... can you help me with something very important?", she asked smirking. 

~/~/~

Jade hung up and grinned. If Shendu was alright, then surely Uncle was too. That meant that she could get help from him and escape. She turned to go to her room and came face to face with Hsi Wu glaring at her and clenching his fists. Jade's smile died and she stepped back. 

"How long have you worried so much about Shendu's well-being?", he asked angry and Jade smirked. 

"Jealous, Hsi Wu?", she asked sarcastically and his eyes glowed red. 

"Answer me!", he demanded and she snorted. 

"Nothing I do is of your business!", she snapped and went back to her room. Hsi was about to go after her and snap something very angry, but he remembered Tchang Zu and stopped. He tried to look completely calm and slowly went upstairs. 

~/~/~

As soon as the sun began to rise in Spain, Valmont woke up. He pressed his fingers on his temples due to a slight headache. He lifted himself to sit on the bed and when his sight cleared and he looked at his right side, was surprised as he saw Bai Tsa sleeping right beside him. 

Valmont quickly jumped out the bed. He did not get to remember very well what had happened last night, but he went to sleep still wearing his usual suit and even shoes, and it seemed that the water demon also should be so drunk that she could not avoid sleeping, even more considering that she ended up sleeping beside a human on the same bed. 

Whatever had happened, he was quite sure that he couldn't miss this opportunity. He just knew he had to run away now, after that he would think of what to do next. 

Without wasting more time, he ran to the door. It was locked and if Valmont tried to force it, he could wake the demon up. Then he left through the window and leaped to the next room's balcony. Fortunately he was in the second floor and there was a stall right below the balcony. He jumped on it, which softened his fall, and he finally reached the ground. He glanced around himself and didn't see absolutely anybody in the streets. Probably because it was still very early and everybody was having a hangover from the party. 

Valmont smiled in victory. Now he had just to run away as far away as he could until finding another city where at least he could find a telephone. When he was almost leaving the villa, he found some ruins of a kind of abandoned castle or big house. Strangely, the place looked familiar, and he had the feeling that he should not go any closer. He backed away some steps and when turned around, he yelped in surprise as he saw the water demon in her true form. 

"B-Bai Tsa...? How... how did you...?" 

"I said that you would not escape." Bai Tsa slit her eyes and approached of Valmont. "You insolent mortal!", she shouted slapping him and he fell some meters from there. He leaned on his elbows and made sure that his mouth was not bleeding. The water demon approached again and grabbed him with one of her tentacles, lifting him until the height of her eyes. Bai Tsa was about to snap something, but noted that one of Valmont's suit pocket was glowing green. 

"What's that?", she asked and even Valmont didn't knew what to answer. He carefully took the glowing object from his pocket and they two saw that it was the Pan Ku box piece with the earth trigram. 

"You... found the portal?", she asked smiling at the irony of his situation. The piece of the box rose in the air and hit the symbol that had appeared in the lock of the door. Bai Tsa let Valmont go and began to concentrate and chanting some magic words. When finish doing that, she lost her balance and closed her eyes trying to clear her sight and her head. 

A portal was opened in front of them and Dai Gui stepped out. Some seconds later, the portal closed again and Dai looked at his left side where there were some flowers. 

"Dai Gui dislikes flowers.", he said and Valmont rolled his eyes. The earth demon looked at his sister, who now was getting up. 

"Welcome, brother Dai Gui.", she greeted. 

"It's good to be free again, sister Bai Tsa. But Dai is still confused with your sudden disappearance." 

"We explain it later. Now we have to return to San Francisco.", she said and Dai nodded, and then noted something. 

"What's that hung on your neck?", he wanted to know. 

"Oh, this? It's nothing important, I just found it beautiful. It goes with my human form.", she said playing with the necklace. 

"What about that human?", he asked looking at Valmont. 

"He's my slave.", she answered. 

"What?!" His eyes widened. "No, I'm not!", he protested frowning. 

"Silence, slave!", she shouted pushing him violently, making him fall to the ground. "Shall we go?", Bai Tsa said and Dai Gui nodded, while Valmont got up glaring at her and she just smirked pleased. 

~/~/~

"You want me to go with you to Hong Kong?", Shendu confirmed and Julia nodded. 

"Yes, please. I explain the details later.", she added and Shendu crossed his arms in deep thought. "Aww, please, Shendu! I released you from that statue form, you owe on me!", she said shaking his arm like a child asking her father to buy a toy. Shendu sighed and looked at Tso Lan, waiting for the moon demon to decide. 

"Go with them, Shendu. But-" 

"Yay!", Julia commemorated and Tso raised a brow. "Sorry.", she said smiling nervously. 

"But Xiao Fung is going with you.", Tso completed. 

"Why him?", Shendu asked angry. 

"Because he is your older brother and someone has to take care of you. And because I say so.", Tso replied sharply and Shendu snorted. 

"You keep treating me like a child. Besides, Xiao cannot take care even of himself..." 

"Then you take care of each other. Maybe you can learn something with who has brains.", the moon demon said glancing at Julia and Shendu hissed angry, but didn't say anything. "You go do that important thing in Hong Kong while sister Po Kong and I return to San Francisco and prepare the ambush.", Tso Lan said turning to face Julia and she nodded. 

~/~/~

In the jet that Bai Tsa and Valmont had used to go to Spain, everybody was in silence. They were already almost arriving in San Francisco and the two demons had taken their human forms so that they could fit comfortably inside the jet. 

Dai Gui had sat alone. He was the type that didn't like company. Bai Tsa decided to sit alone too, in the seat behind her brother, but in the same line as Valmont's seat. Thus she could keep an eye on her slave and make sure that he would be quiet and wouldn't try to communicate with anyone who could help him to escape. 

At first, they had captured Valmont just to have his money, and Bai Tsa didn't have any interest in him, even to make him her slave or to have fun. But if Shendu and Hsi Wu, the two youngest and weakest ones, had a slave, she had to have one too. Perhaps that didn't make sense to the rest of her siblings, but Bai Tsa thought it was very important to show how she was higher than the younger ones. 

Then again, she was still curious. For some reason, Valmont looked so familiar, but she didn't know to say why. It seemed that she had seen him a long time ago, before he was even born. Well, he was from Europe. She lived good part of her life in Europe too, maybe he was descendent of someone important that she had known back there. 

Valmont was looking at the window, his arms crossed. He was notably angry. Of course, after all traveling in the company of two demons wasn't a very pleasant thing, even more when one of them has decided to be his owner and appealed to violence when Valmont tried to protest. And the other demon was not very intelligent, but he also enjoyed tormenting humans. And why on Earth Bai Tsa didn't stop staring at him? That was getting on his nerves! 

The jet landed in an open area near their hideout, and Valmont reluctantly stood up. They didn't take too long to get the mansion. Tchang Zu and Hsi Wu greeted their two siblings while Jade just watched them. 

"Hey!", Valmont suddenly exclaimed everybody turned to face him. 

"What is it, human?", Tchang Zu asked in despise and Valmont looked at the ground, as if he were still thinking of exactly what to say. 

"You kidnapped me to take my money to travel to the portals. Well then, now all the demons are free and you can set your pathetic ambush. Fine! But you don't need me anymore, and I want to go away!", he demanded and Tchang Zu looked at Bai Tsa. 

"Is he your slave?", he asked and Bai Tsa slit her eyes. Hsi Wu discreetly approached of Jade and pulled her away from Valmont. 

"Yes, he is.", the water demon answered and walked to the man. "...But I think he still didn't get it very well." 

"Then make him understand with the old methods...", the thunder demon said rather amused and Bai Tsa glared at Valmont. 

"Listen to me, now you are *my* slave and will be until the end of your days! And no matter what happens, you will NOT leave here alone!", she snapped. 

"But why? I don't intend to help the Chans or anything like that! I can also give you all the money you want, but why do you want to keep me here?" 

"The money is not important!", Tchang Zu said interfering in the argue and Valmont clenched his fists angrily. 

"Then I really don't understand why you want to keep me here. Everybody knows that the Chans will end up defeating you even without my help. They always do. They already defeated and humiliated you several times and it wouldn't be difficult to do that again. I-" He couldn't finish when Bai Tsa grabbed him again with one of her tentacles and squeezed him so much that he barely managed to breathe. 

"Watch your mouth, mortal... If you really want to continue alive, you should think twice before rebelling against your master...", she said while Valmont hardly paid her attention, trying to break free to get at least some oxygen. 

"And don't forget... that if you try anything stupid, you daughter's life will be in _serious_ dangerous too...", she said coldly and smirking, squeezing Valmont even more. Jade flinched and even felt like helping him, though they were enemies. But this wasn't the right moment for that. 

Bai Tsa finally let him go and turned to face Tchang Zu. 

"I think he got it now.", she said and her oldest brother nodded in approval. 

"Very well, now we-" He stopped when heard the sound of another jet approaching. 

"Our siblings are back.", Bai announced. 

"Let's greet them.", Tchang said leaving the mansion and Bai Tsa and Dai Gui followed him. Jade rushed to Valmont and knelt down to see how he was. 

"Valmont, are you all right?", she asked and he raised his glance a bit. 

"No, I am not all right! Why can't those cursed demons leave me alone?! Damn!!", he shouted hitting a fist against the ground and yelped. 

"Ah, what's the matter?", Jade asked uneasy and Valmont pressed his hand against his left side, close to the stomach. 

"Oh, great... that's all I needed... ow... I think she broke me a rib...", he said in a low voice. 

"Oh, no! We gotta take you to a doctor! Hsi Wu, please! Let me take him to a hospital!", Jade pleaded turning to face the sky demon, who flinched and looked unsure. 

"Uh... I... can't... My siblings...", Hsi stuttered and Jade approached of him. 

"Please!", she asked again and he looked away, lowering his head. "Please, Hsi!" she tried again, unconsciously holding his hand. Hsi Wu stared at her and tried to resist, but failed. 

"Well... I... think I can...", he said quietly and Jade's expression brightened, when Valmont interrupted. 

"No, I don't want to go!", he affirmed and Jade and Hsi looked at him in confusion. 

"What do you mean? You have to!", Jade said and Valmont tried to get up. 

"No, I'd never forgive myself if something happened to Julia. Mainly if it were my fault.", he said leaning on a sofa to remain standing. 

"But... you..." 

"No, I'm fine. This is nothing, I already went through worse things... 


	18. The Zhou Wen Library

Oh my, I forgot to describe Dai Gui's human form! o.O Thank you, Regrem Erutaerc, for reminding me! Ok, it's very simple, actually. He has golden eyes (more or less like Jade) and dark brown hair *almost* reaching his shoulders. 

Thank you for the reviews!^_^ 

***** 

**Chapter 18: The Zhou Wen Library**

Tchang Zu, Bai Tsa and Dai Gui left the house and watched how the jet landed. They didn't have to wait too long for their siblings, but were surprised as they saw that only Tso Lan and Po Kong had returned. 

"Where are the others?", Tchang Zu asked in suspicion. 

"We did some change of plans and the others went to Hong Kong.", Tso answered. Jade, Hsi Wu and Valmont opened slightly the door so that they wouldn't be noticed. 

"And what they are going to do in Hong Kong?" 

"We are not sure, but they assured that it will be fast and that the other prisoner would be enough as a bait for our ambush.", Po Kong replied and after some consideration, Tchang nodded. 

"Very well. Let's begin our ambush without them.", he decided. 

"We still have to think of a lot of things. For example, how are we going to attract Chans' attention?", Tso reminded. 

"Do not worry. We still have the whole night to think of every detail." 

Jade carefully closed the door and turned to face the other two. 

"Did you hear that?", she asked. 

"Yes, it means that soon the world will be dominated by the demons. Finally...", Hsi Wu said in victory. 

"Do you have any idea of what Shendu and the others are going to do in Hong Kong?", Jade asked to the demon, ignoring his last remark. 

"Perhaps Shendu has gone there to look for something in his palace." 

~/~/~

It was early in Hong Kong, and four figures went quietly in the darkness. The group approached of a building with some Chinese characters written in the door. 

"Zhou Wen.", Julia read, smiling. 

"You can read in Chinese?", Xiao asked and the girl nodded. 

"For two years I have been looking for this library. Of course a seven-year-old little girl doesn't have many resources to find this place, mainly when her father doesn't collaborate. But that's nothing that the company of two demons and a descendent of a chi-wizard family can't resolve." 

"What do you want in that library?", Jack asked. 

"You'll soon see it.", she said coldly and made a gesture the group to follow her. She quickly managed to unlock the door and they entered the dark library. None of them had ever been inside it, but Julia leaded them as if she knew that place very well. They finally found another locked door, which wasn't an obstacle to Julia either. The girl opened it and inside this room there was a lampshade. 

"Ah, finally some light...", Jack commented while Julia turned it on. Everybody observed the library, and Jack felt cold shivers going down his spine as he saw that there were two skulls and some weird artifacts and potions on the table, and now he already had an idea of why only the chi-wizards were allowed to enter this place. 

Julia took a fast glance around herself and soon looked to have found what she wanted. She took a very dusty green book with yellowish pages and leafed through it until finding a map. Shendu frowned and approached of her, and Xiao Fung did the same after a while. 

"I found it! It's not far away from here." Julia kept the map in her pocket and tore one of the pages out. When seeing that, Jack's eyes widened. 

"Woahh! Why did you do that?! That must be a sacred book!" 

Julia ignored him and turned to face the demons. 

"Now, I'll need your help." 

~/~/~

While the demons thought of how the ambush would happen, Jade and Valmont had been imprisoned in a windowless room that had just two single beds and a dresser. Each one was in a bed, frowning angry and with crossed arms. After hours of silence, Jade finally was sick of it and stood up. 

"Enough! I can't stand this anymore!", she complained and walked to Valmont. "You know a way to get away from here and yet you don't want to tell me! Why?" 

"Because I don't want to get away from here!" 

"But Valmont, we have to! I gotta ask help to my uncles and you need to go to a hospital!" 

"No!" 

"Jade placed her hands on her head ready to pull her hair out and clenched her teeth. She then drew a deep breath to calm down and sat beside him. 

"Listen, nothing is gonna happen to Julia. She will be alright, I promise. Jackie and Uncle will take care of the demons before they can ever try to do anything to your daughter!", she tried again and Valmont lowered his head in deep thought. "We quietly run away now and I get help before they notice that we are not here.", she added. After a while, Valmont raised his glance and reluctantly nodded. 

"All right...", he murmured and Jade smiled pleased. 

~/~/~

Shendu, Xiao Fung, Julia and Jack arrived at a type of temple in a region slightly far away from the city. Julia took one more glance at the map to make sure they were in the right place. 

"What do you want here, after all?", Xiao asked curiously while they entered the temple. 

"Have you ever heard of this temple?" 

"Yes, it is a very ancient temple. When it had been just built, the chi of the wizards who had built it was so powerful that we could not even approach.", Shendu said. 

The temple wasn't very big, and they soon arrived at its end. Everybody, except Julia, was very surprised as they saw a small golden dragon statue. In the dragon's left hand there was a sphere that looked like a pearl and had the size of a marble. 

"But... that's the...", Shendu stuttered. 

"The Hun Yu jewel!", Julia said before he could finish. 

"I don't understand anything! What's that Hun Yu jewel?", Jack asked in confusion. 

"Long story, but this jewel has the power to make any wish of the person who owns it come true, and it gives infinite power. With it, you can also go to any other dimension.", Julia explained and only then Jack understood that a criminal little girl owning such power was really dangerous. 

"Oh, now I remember. One day, we tried to get the power of that jewel, but it didn't work very well!", Xiao said smiling and Julia turned to him with a sarcastic smile. 

"It's because this jewel is filled with good magic.", she said and took the page of the book that she had torn out. "Long... Zhan... Jing... Xing...", Julia slowly read in a low voice and the jewel began to glow. She was about to take it when Shendu stopped her. 

"Wait, that's not a good idea.", he warned. 

"Why?" 

"Some of us already tried to make humans take that jewel, and all of them had an unpleasant end within few days." 

"Ah, I know that the jewel can be used only by someone with pure heart, but I found out that if I combine the power of the tiger talisman with the jewel, any human can use it." Julia took the still glowing jewel from the statue's hand, though she didn't have to touch it. She had just to involve the jewel with her hands and it followed the movement of her hands, floating in the air. 

"But you do not have the tiger talisman...", Xiao Fung reminded. 

"I will, when we go back to San Francisco." 

Julia approached the jewel of her heart, and it seemed to have been absorbed by the girl's body. A white symbol looking like an Arabic letter appeared in her forehead and her body began to shine. 

"Haha, who said that money is the best thing in the world never had the power! The true power!", she declared turning to face the other three. Shendu smiled pleased. In that aspect she was very different from her father, who didn't care about anything but money. Finally he had found a human who valued power more than anything else. 

"I thought the power of the jewel took a while to make effect.", Xiao remarked. 

"Well, I don't have many powers yet, but I already feel quite different. I feel your presence... I feel the power of... the talismans?!", she said in surprised as well as the others. 

"A talisman? Here?", Xiao asked glancing around himself. 

"Are you sure?", Shendu confirmed. 

"Of course yes, and it's in the Zhou Wen library.", she said looking at the direction of the city. 

~/~/~

"Uncle, why did we come here?", Jackie asked while they and the J-Team walked for a sidewalk in Hong Kong. 

"Uncle has to research a way to banish the demons permanently." 

"I thought they had been banished permanently last time.", Viper remarked sarcastically and yelped when she was hit in the head by Uncle. 

"How could Uncle know that the power of the Meng Hsie pendant was powerful enough to open the portals again?! That's why we are here! The Zhou Wen library is the best in magic!", Uncle snapped. They arrived at the library and slowly walked for the long corridor. Two wizards were in front of the door of the secret room and one of them raised a hand to stop the group. 

"Sorry, only chi-wizards can enter..." 

"What? But why?", El Toro asked and Jackie shook his head. 

"Never mind. They do that for safety reasons. There are a lot of important thing kept at that library.", Jackie said and they turned around to go to the other side of the room and sit in a sofa while Uncle and Tohru went in the library. 

"Paco, what happened? You don't look very well...", El Toro commented and the boy sighed. 

"It's nothing... I'm just worried about Jade..." He raised his gaze to see that El Toro was staring strangely at him."...and Jack.", Paco completed to disguise his feelings. 

"Don't worry, we'll save them." 

"Yeah, you should relax, because this will take a while.", Viper said and suddenly, the door was opened. 

"HOT CHAAA!!!!", Uncle yelled and they yelped in surprise. 

"Uncle, you found out something already?", Jackie asked standing up. 

"No, I was just asking for tea. Uncle cannot research properly without a good tea.", the old man said calmly and Jackie moaned in frustration, lowering his shoulders. A lady quickly came to bring tea and he went back to the library. Jackie folded his arms impatiently. He still was very worried about his son and his niece. 

The two wizards were talking about something and because the room wasn't very large, Jackie listened to them. 

"Did you know? When Han got here, the front door and this one were open!" 

"Do you think someone entered here without permission?" 

"Well, perhaps it has been Kimu. He already did that several times, remember?" 

"True... He's very absent-minded..." 

"Yes, it might have been quite so, since any book or artifact was stolen..." 

Jackie frowned and rubbed his chin. Maybe it has been the demons...? Would it be possible? 

~/~/~

"Oh, great! So there was a secret passage right below my bed...", Jade murmured sarcastically while she and Valmont walked for a dark corridor, fumbling the wall in order not to go against it. It was pitch-black and Jade followed the sound of his steps to know to where she had to go. Suddenly, he stopped and she bumped into him. 

"Aw!" 

"Sorry..." 

"We... arrived.", he said and Jade slit her eyes trying to see something, but she didn't manage to. She wondered how Valmont knew where they were going. 

"What direction now? Forward?" 

"No, upward. There's a type of ladder here." 

Jade heard Valmont opening a kind of metal door and felt better when she could see some light. She also went up and when arrived, saw that hey had just came from a storm drain in an alley. Actually, it was not a storm drain, but a passage that looked like one. 

"Is Uncle's shop very far away from here...?", Jade wondered. 

"Yes... the best thing would be to take a taxi..." 

"Hello? Taxi this late?", Jade said sarcastically and they heard a sound of a motorcycle approaching. Jade went to the middle of the street and stretched out her arms. "Stop!!", she ordered and the motorcycle almost ran over her. 

"Are you crazy? Do you want to die, girl?", the man in the motorcycle snapped and Jade grabbed him by his collar and threw him out the vehicle. "Hey!", the man protested, but Jade ignored him getting on it and gesturing Valmont to go with her. 

"Sorry, I will bring it back later, thank you!", she said quickly before accelerating and going away. 

~/~/~

Hsi said to his siblings that he was going to see if the slaves were behaving and went upstairs. Actually, he just wanted to see Jade. For some reason she fascinated him. Perhaps it was because of her unique character, she wasn't like the other humans. Well, Hsi didn't know, he just knew that he wanted to see her again. Though he would never let his siblings know it. 

The sky demon unlocked the door and when entered the room, saw that nobody was there. He was completely confused, after all it wasn't possible to get out through the window – since simply there wasn't any window – or through the door, which was locked. He slapped his forehead in despair. The whole plan of them could be ruined because of that! 

He flew to where his siblings were gathered and they immediately noted his urgency expression. 

"What is the problem, Hsi?", Tso Lan asked. 

"Did something happen?", Tchang Zu wanted to know. 

"The slaves ran away!", Hsi announced and the other demons widened their eyes. 

"Well, what are you waiting for? Bai Tsa, Hsi Wu! They are _your_ slaves! Go after them!", Tchang ordered. 

"Hurry, they mustn't have gone very far.", Po Kong said. 

"That's right! If something goes wrong because of them, you two will be responsible!", the thunder demons snapped pointing at them. Without wasting more time, they left the house. Hsi Wu was glad that there wasn't anybody in the streets this late, thus he would be able to look for Jade faster. 

~/~/~

"Oh, no..." 

'Closed' 

"Oh, no!" 

'Closed' 

"Oh, no!!!!!" 

'Closed' 

"OH, NOOOOO!!!!!!!!", Jade yelled in despair while seeing the sign in the door with the word 'Closed', and the lights inside the shop were all turned off, indicating that nobody was there. Valmont felt equally desperate, but he didn't want to express it with yells like Jade, since he barely could breathe without a certain pain. 

"But why they are not here??? Uncle should be researching a way to banish the demons or preparing a spell!!! Where are they?!?!?!?!", Jade shouted hitting the door with her fist. 

"Have you already thought of how ironic it would be if they were fighting against the demons right now?", Valmont remarked. 

"No! It's not possible that they have found out how to seal the demons in such a short while with Uncle's books! They must have gone to another place, to ask for help maybe!" 

"Perhaps..." 

"...the Section 13!" 

"Well, then you go there while I-" 

"C'mon, Valmont! You can't stay here alone! Soon the demons will notice that we ran away and will come to hunt us!" 

"There you are!", a very familiar voice was heard and they two looked surprised to the left side of the shop. Hsi Wu and Bai Tsa were glaring at them, though Hsi was smirking sarcastically. 

"You know, Jade, you are very lucky. Usually in a situation like this, Tchang Zu would sentence you to death. Or that another thing we talked about...", the sky demon said and the two humans stepped back. Hsi Wu flew close to her. "Now be a good girl and come back with me before something bad happens." 

"Being demons' prisoner already is the worst thing that could happen to me!", Jade shouted. 

"Are you sure?" Hsi closed his eyes and laughed a bit in a low voice before looking at her again. "I can see that you don't know what real suffering is.", he continued and grabbed her, immobilizing her. 

"Ahh! No! Let me go!" 

"Come on, Jade. Don't make me show you what real suffering is.", he hissed and turned to face his sister. "Take your slave and let's go back before Tchang Zu decides to turn us inside out." 

"You don't have to remind me of that...", the water demon said and approached of Valmont. "It seems that this human doesn't care about his daughter now, but let's see his regret face when I torture her right before his eyes...", she threatened in amuse, but Valmont was not ready to fail in an escape for the third time. 

"Stay away from me, demon!", he demanded taking a fight position and Bai Tsa slit her eyes and smirked. It has been a long time since a slave of hers challenged her like that. 

Jade tried to break free from the demon's grip, but when she didn't get any result, she decided to use less common methods. She then bit his arm and Hsi yelped because of the slight pain, and for a brief moment he stopped squeezing her. Enough time for Jade to move and elbow him in his stomach. She moved away from him and also took a fight position. 


	19. Scars of the Past

So... I'm incredibly tired today! I had the longest History class of my life and it was really boring! You have no idea! And I couldn't sleep because the teacher was keeping an eye on me since my friend, who was beside me, slept first! And guess what I "learned"... Something that looks like a tradition, to study the colonization process... I study it every year! It's always the same... Portuguese people came, planted some things, enslaved and killed Indians, found gold later, went back to Portugal, blah, blah, blah... Well, at least I took advantage of it to write a new chapter for this fic! Huahuahua! 

I thank you for those who reviewed! Answers now! 

**VampireNaomi** – I already answered your comments and questions... except for some details that would have been spoilers.^^ I'll just repeat that Paco is not in love for Jack! You already know that, but I want to remind everyone that I usually don't write serious yaoi couples in my fics. Oh, and you and some other readers got what you asked for. This chapter, Jade and Hsi Wu will do... what a "whole" fangirls club asked me to write! With no details at all, of course! 

**Forgotten Love** – Words can't express how happy I am with your reviews and e-mails!^^ I hope you keep liking my stories. So... are you still going to translate my fic? It's ok if you don't want it anymore, but could you please translate at least one single paragraph?^^" Please?? *puppy eyes* 

**SliverZeo** – A new reader! Yay!^_^ Thank you very much! But why did you review chapter 2? Have you already read this fic until chapter 18? 

**Regrem Erutaerc** – Hah! You didn't review chapter 18, but I know you still like my fic! Hehe! I just want to say that you're still a great friend, even if you always make me feel like my English sucks... Thank you for the help with the translation!^_^ 

***** 

**Chapter 19: Scars of the Past**

"So you really want to fight against me, Jade?", Hsi Wu asked smiling bitterly. Deep down he didn't want to do that, but if Jade was being so stubborn in front of his older sister, the sky demon would have to do something. 

"Come, if you have enough courage!", she challenged and Hsi Wu's expression became completely serious. 

"Foolish mortal...", he muttered and looked surprised at Bai Tsa as she took her human form. "What are you doing, sister Bai?" 

"This way it'll be more humiliating to the human.", she replied smirking. "You should do that too, Hsi. It'll be fun.", she suggested and after thinking for a while, he smirked and also took his human form. 

The two demons took a fighting position and the humans flinched. Hsi Wu was the first one who attacked. He started by jumping and trying to punch her, but Jade managed to block it. He next tried a high kick, but Jade ducked beneath it and tried to punch him back. The sky demon blocked it with his left arm and then punched her in the stomach, and she backed away holding her stomach. 

Meanwhile, Bai Tsa started with a flying kick, and Valmont had to crouch. When he was standing up, Bai kicked him in the back and he fell on his stomach, but he quickly turned around in the ground and used his hands to drive himself forward and kick the water demon with his feet, then landing on his feet taking a fighting position again. All those moves made him feel very uncomfortable, but Valmont didn't want to show any pain. 

The water demon got up angry and tried a high kick, which was blocked by Valmont. He tried to punch her, but she jumped and she hit him in the face with a jump kick. Valmont had to make a great effort to keep his balance after that, and Bai took advantage of that moment of distraction to hit him in the head. This time he lost his balance and fell to the ground. 

Jade was giving a sequence of kicks in Hsi, who was easily blocking or dodging them. He kneed her in the stomach and she was knocked against the wall. The sky demon rushed to hit her but she got out of his way right on time and he ended up punching the wall, although it didn't cause him any pain. Hsi jumped and tried a flying jump, but Jade jumped back to dodge it. When Hsi Wu landed, she tripped him. The sky demon lost his balance and fell to the ground. Jade was going to stomp on him, but he grabbed her foot and twisted it. Thus, she also fell. They got up at the same time and took a fighting position, facing each other. They had to admit that this fight was very fun and exciting. 

On the other hand, Valmont wasn't enjoying this fight at all. He slowly got up and paused to recover his breath. Bai Tsa walked towards him from behind and he clenched his fists angry. She ran to him and Valmont turned around when she was almost reaching him, and he grabbed her from her clothes and turned again to throw her. While she got up, he tried to hit her with a flying jump, but she created a water ball with one of her hands. She then threw the ball at him and it turned into a burst of water. The man ended up falling on the street. That last blow had really been too much for him, and Valmont couldn't move anymore. 

"Valmont!", Jade yelled. She drew a deep breath when on that exact moment, just to worsen their situation, she saw that a bus was coming towards him. Jade wanted to help him, but Hsi Wu grabbed her. 

Valmont tried to get up but failed. The driver of the bus seemed to have seen that someone was in the middle of the street, but the vehicle was to fast and he couldn't do anything about it. When everybody thought that would his end, Bai Tsa managed to jump and save him a second before the bus could reach him. She was hit in the shoulder, but thanks to her recovering power she didn't have any damage. Jade and Hsi Wu stared at her, openmouthed. Hsi Wu remembered the girl and took advantage of her distraction to hit her in the back and immobilize her again, this time more firmly. 

Valmont wasn't unconscious, but he wasn't very far from it. Bai Tsa approached him, still knelt down, with an angry face. 

"You stupid human! What do you think you were doing?! Did you want to die?" 

Valmont barely could find strength to answer, and Jade had to speak for him. 

"Hey, give him a break! He's injured!" 

Bai Tsa observed him and noted that the girl was right. He looked very weak and sore. Bai took her true form and grabbed him with one of her tentacles. She then turned to look at Hsi Wu and Jade and smirked. 

"Remember what our father always said? We must take care of our slaves so that they will live and serve us for more time. And I think you should take care of your slave too, Hsi...", she warned and Jade felt cold shivers going down her spine as she heard that last phrase. She felt Hsi's claws tightening her even more. Not because he wanted to hurt her or make sure she wouldn't try to escape, but because he looked very uneasy with that warning. The water demon went away carrying Valmont while he stood in the street staring at nothing. Jade noted that the driver had stopped and tried to approach, but now he was shocked after he saw Bai Tsa's transformation. She lowered her head and sighed. 

"Hsi... Does it have something to do with... Tchang Zu...?", she asked and the sky demon took a while to answer. 

"He cannot kill you, since we wouldn't be able to set the ambush. Then... he could try...", Hsi didn't finish and let Jade imagine what he meant. 

"Hsi, please... Don't take me there!", she asked and Hsi Wu flinched. 

"I... I can't rebel against my older siblings...", he murmured sorry. 

"Please, Hsi!", she begged and he hit the air with his wings, raising some inches above the ground. "Hsi, please! Don't take me there!" 

"I won't.", he said and she widened her eyes. Then he flew away to the opposite direction of their hideout. 

~/~/~

The door of the library was opened and the J-Team looked at Uncle. 

"Hatcha!", Uncle announced. 

"More tea, Uncle?", Jackie asked with no enthusiasm at all. 

"No, Uncle has found a way to banish the demons to a dimension safer than the Netherworld. It's impossible to escape from there without an excellent wizard in this side.", Uncle said and everyone's expression cleared. 

"That's great, Uncle!", Jackie congratulated and Tohru stood beside his master, with a sad expression, and it made Jackie frown. 

"What now...?" 

"It's hard to explain, but the spell only works when you offer a sacrifice and send the sacrificed being's soul to the Realm of Darkness.", Tohru explained in a low voice and everyone immediately understood. 

"You mean... we have to sacrifice somebody?", Viper confirmed and Tohru nodded. 

"Is there any special condition for the victim of the sacrifice? Can it be any person?", El Toro wanted to know. 

"It can be anyone, even an animal or a demon... But the victim must want to make the sacrifice, cannot be forced.", Uncle replied. 

"Then I will make the sacrifice!", El Toro offered and everyone looked at him in surprise. 

"No, El Toro! I hate to admit that, but I've always been the most useless one... I'll make the sacrifice.", Paco said firmly. 

"Paco, you're still young, has a whole life ahead!", El Toro said. 

"No, _I_ will make the sacrifice!", Jackie stated and they stared at him. 

"But Jackie...", Viper murmured. 

"Jackie, if we sent you to the Realm of Darkness, you won't be able to return to this world ever again. And you can't reincarnate either.", Tohru explained. 

"Unless the demons are released, but that's almost impossible.", Uncle added. 

"I don't care! If it's for Jack and Jade, I'll do anything!" 

"Hahaha, really? How noble of you.", a cold voice was heard and everybody turned to look at the corridor and saw that it was Valmont's daughter. 

"Julia...!", Jackie said surprised, though Uncle was even more shocked. 

"Aiya!! She has a very powerful chi around her!" 

"Chan, I want the tiger talisman right now! I know it's with you!", she demanded. While they all looked confused at her, Julia narrowed her eyes and observed them carefully until she finally felt the presence of the tiger talisman in one of Paco's jacket pockets. "So... it's with you.", she said heading to the boy and El Toro tried to stop her, but she stretched her arms and an energy pushed everyone, except Paco, and they were knocked against the wall, which seemed to melt and then hardened again, immobilizing them. 

"Whoa... That looks like the spell that Daolon Wong used to immobilize us!", Jackie said while stared at the girl, who now began to shine. 

When Paco was on guard, Julia aimed her palm at him and the boy was paralyzed. Julia calmly took the tiger talisman from his pocket and kept it with her. 

"Thank you very much.", she said smirking before leaving. 

~/~/~

"Here is the talisman!", Julia said showing to the two demons and Jack. 

"What about the others?", Shendu asked angry. 

"What?", she asked innocently. 

"Why didn't you bring the other talismans???" 

"Because you didn't ask for them..." 

"AHHH!!!!" 

"...and because your siblings said that you can't stay with the talismans." 

"Calm down, Shendu... You can have your talismans back when we defeat the Chans in our ambush.", Xiao Fung said and was thoughtful for a while. "Why do we have to set an ambush? Now that Julia has many powers, she could just destroy them all at once!" 

"Only a pure person can use the power of the jewel. The tiger talisman can disguise her dark side, but if she does many bad things, the jewel will be corrupted and Julia may get out of control or even die.", Shendu explained and Julia nodded. 

"Oh..." 

"Now we have to return to San Francisco.", Shendu reminded. 

~/~/~

Hsi Wu carried Jade and flew to above the clouds. Thus, Jade could see the moon and the stars as if she were in the space. They looked much more beautiful and shining this night, and the nightly city full of light was amazing too. Jade didn't believe she was so happy even though she was being carried by a demon and still remember all the hard time her family was having. 

The sky demon finally went down to land on an observatory (or a lookout, or a viewpoint... I don't know, my dictionaries don't agree with each other) and put Jade down. 

"Hsi, thank you for helping me.", she said while they leaned on the small wall to observe the city. Hsi Wu didn't say anything, but just lowered his gaze in thought. Jade leaned her chin on her hands and her elbows on the wall. Suddenly, she frowned and looked at him in suspicion. "Tell me... why are you helping me? The Hsi Wu I know would never be nice to me with no evil intentions...", she said bitterly. 

"So that's the thanks I get for helping you? You distrust me?!", he asked slitting his eyes. 

"And why should I trust you? I still remember quite well what you did to me last time! You lied to me and pretended to be my friend just to get your damn tail back!", she snapped and Hsi squeezed her shoulders, pushing her towards a tree. 

"What did you expected from me? That was easiest way to get my tail back, which YOU made me lose, and at that time you were just another worthless human little girl!" 

His claws began to hurt her a bit and his eyes glowed in rage. Jade was afraid of what he could try now, though she didn't want to show it. 

"Take your hands off me!", she demanded and was surprised when he actually did that. He caressed her face softly and now she was really confused. 

"But for all these years... thinking about you for so much time and hating you for imprisoning me in that horrible place... without noticing I began to feel something different for you... and... after seeing you so mature and yet with your usual enthusiasm... I finally realized that... I love you..." 

Jade's eyes were filled with tears while she felt a mix of hatred and happiness. 

"Impossible... You're a cold and cruel demon who only loves yourself... You took me to your siblings so that they would devour me, and they almost did it...", she muttered and she finally began to cry. 

"...I'm sorry, Jade... I'm really sorry for that... At that time I didn't feel anything for you... or if I did, I didn't know that... I'm really sorry... I know you liked me..." 

"No, I liked Seymour! But he never existed!" 

Hsi Wu sighed. 

"Jade, I am Seymour. Even if you don't like it..." 

"No...", she muttered and he took his human form – older Seymour. Jade then widened her eyes. 

"Perhaps now you feel better. So... Jade..." he approached his face of hers and looked at her deeply in her eyes. "...do you forgive?" 

After a long while, she cried even more and suddenly hugged him with all her strength. 

"Seymour... Hsi Wu... When I was a child I liked you just as a friend, and when I found out that you're a demon, I got blind with rage... but in time I also found out that I missed you..." 

Hsi Wu held her face with his two human hands and his lips touched hers. Jade was glad that he was in his human form, otherwise this would be quite uncomfortable to her. This kiss was compensating all the lost time and they didn't intend to stop it. However, his hands slipped to her shoulders and he knelt down carefully bringing her to the ground. Jade interrupted the kiss and looked worried at him. 

"Hsi..." 

"Don't worry, Jade. Nobody is looking at us.", he said smiling and Jade bit her lip. 

"It's just that... I never did it...", she said and Hsi Wu touched her mouth with his finger so that she was silent. 

"Don't you trust me yet? I promise I won't hurt you.", he said and brushed her hair with his fingers. Jade smiled and felt a bit better, although her heart was beating incredibly fast. 

"Alright...", she said and they kissed intensely again. 

~/~/~

"Do you want me to help you, Bai Tsa?", Tso Lan asked while they two headed to one of the rooms. Bai was carrying a first-aid kit and looked confident. 

"No, thanks. Everything's under control.", she replied closing the door. 

The room had almost no light. Valmont was lying in the bed looking like he was feeling a bit better, since he was glaring daggers at her. 

"Why are you looking at me like that?" 

Valmont looked away and snorted. 

"I don't believe you asked me that after everything you did to me." 

"At least you are alive, aren't you?", she said shrugging and Valmont suppressed the desire to snap something very angry at her. He drew a deep breath to calm down and yelped and he felt a stinging pain in his ribs. "Does it...", she stared again and he looked at her. "...still hurt?" 

"Do you really care?", he asked in a sarcastic tone and she frowned. 

"Of course I don't!" 

"So what's that first-aid kit for?" 

She looked away slightly uneasy automatically hiding the kit behind herself. 

"My father used to say that we must take care of our slaves." 

"Why?", he asked in suspicion and she flashed a sly smirk at him. 

"Because your death is the end of your suffering, and that's not fun.", she said rather amused and Valmont looked away again. 

"Of course... I should have guessed.", he muttered under his breath, though Bai Tsa could have heard him and ignored his last remark, shaking her head deep in thought. 

"It's not of your business why I have to take care if my slaves, just take off your... uhh shirt... so that I can end this already." 

~/~/~

_"AAAAHHHH!!!"_ The demons at the living room looked at the stairs as they heard Valmont's screams. 

"Oh my... what's Bai Tsa up to?", Po Kong asked. 

"I think she's torturing her slave.", Tchang Zu said. 

"Dai Gui likes to watch human torture.", the earth demon stated. 

"Shall we join her?", Po asked and the three demons glanced at each other. Tso Lan just raised a brow and then shook his head, backing to concentrate in his book. 

~/~/~

"That hurts! Stop it!", he shouted with his remaining forces. 

"Shut up!", she snapped while trying to apply a dressing in his abdomen. She was almost sitting on him in order to keep him quiet. She wasn't being very delicate and he opened his mouth to protest again, but she glared furiously at him with her glowing red eyes. "If you scream again, I'll slit your throat!", she threatened and he swallowed, making a great effort to stay silent. Bai relaxed sitting on the bed in a normal way again and sighed. 

"Humans are so weak... break so easily..." 

"...Can I ask something?", Valmont asked unsure. 

"Go ahead.", she said not knowing what to expect. 

"Why did you save me from the bus?" 

Bai Tsa was silent for a while and looked away. "When I saw you for the first time, I didn't notice it, but... you remind me of someone." 

"Who?", Valmont asked curiously. She didn't answer and he stared at her a little surprised. He could swear she was blushing! He had never thought that a cruel and blood-thirsty demon could have such a soft and shy expression. Valmont had to admit that in her human form, she was a very beautiful woman, despite her unusual hair color. And her light blue eyes were pretty too. Right now he just wished he could know what the water demon was thinking about. 

**To be continued...**


	20. The Ambush

Recently, I found out that Paco and El Toro spell "Yackie" and "Yade", not "Jackie" and Jade... I didn't know that and I'm too lazy to change the names in the previous chapters, so the changes begin from now on. 

**VampireNaomi** – Thank you!^^ I'll try to write more sweet romance scenes, since the romances are beginning to develop (I think). I just wish that JCA had more female demons, because I had a hard time deciding the couples... 

**Forgotten Love** – Wow, thank you for the great review and for translating my fic! Well, unfortunately that 'Valmont-reminds-her-of-someone' thing will have to wait some while. I was planning to solve it in chapter 25, but now I see it won't happen so early... oh, I'm so slow! Oh yeah, Portuguese killed Indians, but some of them are still alive. The young ones refuse to keep their tradition, though. Sad thing, there's nothing worse than giving up your own culture. 

***** 

**Chapter 20: The Ambush**

"What are you looking at?" Bai Tsa asked angry and Valmont flinched. 

"But it's you who was looking at me!" Valmont defended and she clenched her fist. 

"Don't talk back to me!" she snapped slapping him and he yelped, almost falling from the bed. He felt liking snapping something at her, but he was smart enough to understand that if he did so, she would hit him again. Then he just glared daggers at her, rubbing his face where he had been slapped. Bai Tsa frowned before his stare. 

_That look..._

Bai Tsa looked at him deeply in the eyes. That look of his had been already seen seven years ago, and some days ago, but she felt like she had seen this very same scene before. And this time there was something different in his eyes and yet similar to some other occasion that she could not remember right now. 

_Déjà vu?_

"BAI TSA!!" the voices of her siblings were heard when they suddenly entered the room and she turned to face them with an alarmed expression. 

"What? What happened??" she asked. 

"Are you torturing your slave??" 

"Why didn't you invite us?" 

"And why there's no blood in here??" 

Bai Tsa slit her eyes and they blinked waiting for answers. 

"I am not torturing my slave! And no matter how older you are, you do not have the right to invade my room like that!" she snapped and Dai Gui observed the room, which was too small and uncomfortable for his sister liking. 

"_This_ is your room?" he asked in disbelief and she flinched. 

"Well, I meant that you do not have the right to just interrupt me and interfere in what is none of your business." she stated and the three siblings glanced at each other, then at Valmont. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and the three demons raised a brow. 

"What were you two doing?" Po Kong asked with a suggestive tone, and both Valmont and Bai Tsa flinched and blushed. 

"What do you think I was doing?! Don't start to think of strange things about me! I would never have anything to do with a stupid human like him!" she snapped pointing at him and pushed her way past them, leaving the room. "I don't believe you! You are just jealous because you still don't have a slave!" 

Po Kong glanced at Valmont one more time and was pleased to see how he was still blushing. She looked at her sister going away and smiled. 

~/~/~

Jade opened her eyes and saw she was lying alone in the observatory. Considering the color of the sky, it should be almost dawning. She got up and walked to the wall of the observatory. She leaned on it and observed the sun that was slowly rising in the horizon. 

"Good morning, Jade..." a voice said behind her and Jade turned around smiling. She saw the sky demon in his human form and hugged him. 

"Oh, Hsi Wu... I never had such a wonderful night before." 

"Yeah..." he muttered. "Jade... come with me..." he said taking his true form and lifting her. He then flew up and quickly arrived at their hideout. Her smile died and she sighed. 

'Oh well... good things never last too long...' 

"Sorry, Jade..." Hsi whispered and kissed her face. He then landed and carefully opened the front door. They looked around and walked quietly to the room where the demons usually were. Hsi Wu barely went in the room and was surprised by his siblings. 

"Hsi Wu!!!" Tchang Zu thundered making the air around him shake. 

"Y-Y-Yes... Tchang... I mean... master?" the sky demon answered trembling. 

"Why did you take so long???" 

"B-Because.... ehr... I... do not... well.... it is that.... you...." 

"Answer me already!!!" 

"Honestly, Tchang Zu..." Bai Tsa began but was interrupted by her oldest brother. 

"It is 'master'!!!!" he demanded and she rolled her eyes. 

"Whatever... master.... Hsi Wu didn't return because he didn't want you to punish his slave." she continued. Hsi looked unsure at his sister, but didn't say anything. 

"If I killed the slave, we would not have the perfect bait!" 

"Exactly, he was afraid that you did _the other punishment_." Bai Tsa explained. 

"What?! I would never do that with a Chan!" 

Everybody looked at him in surprise. 

"No?" 

"Of course not! What do you think I am?" 

Nobody answered. 

"Well... I... did not know that... sorry, master..." Hsi Wu said after a long while. Maybe it was better not to argue with Tchang Zu. The thunder demon nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when they heard an airplane approaching. "Shendu and Xiao Fung are back!" Hsi Wu said and everybody left the house. Soon the group arrived and Valmont ran to his daughter, hugging her so tightly that the girl was almost blue for the lack of oxygen. 

"Aw... D-Dad..." she said almost mute, still fighting to breathe. 

"Julia! I missed you so much! I thought you wouldn't return ever again!" 

"D-Dad... I... gh... I was out for some few days..." she managed to say and Valmont stopped hugging her and stared at her a bit puzzled. When Jade approached, she was surprised too. 

"Julia, you... grew up..." he said noticing that his daughter looked to be slightly older. 

"Ah, it's just you... Don't be over-dramatic..." Julia said rolling her eyes. 

"No, he's right, Julia. You are... a bit taller..." Jade said. 

"Silence! We have to prepare the ambush as soon as possible!" Tchang Zu said impatiently entering the house and the others followed him. 

"First, we have to think of a place for the ambush." Po Kong began while everybody gathered in the main room. 

"We could do it in Shendu's old hideout." Hsi Wu suggested and Bai Tsa looked angry him. 

"A fish cannery?!" 

"I like fish." Xiao Fung remarked grinning. 

"Who cares???" Bai Tsa shouted. 

"Good idea, let's set the ambush at the fish cannery." Tchang Zu decided and Bai Tsa could just be quiet and crossed her arms in annoyance. 

"When are we going to do that?" Tso Lan wanted to know. 

"At noon." 

"And how are we going to inform the Chans?" Dai Gui asked. 

"Writing a note." 

~/~/~

At Uncle's shop, the atmosphere was tense. Uncle approached Jackie, holding a paintbrush. 

"Jackie... are you sure you want to do that?" Uncle asked and Jackie nodded. 

"Yes, Uncle... I am sure." he answered. Viper was sad for her husband's decision, but he had already managed to convince her that the lives of Jade and their son were more important. Uncle used the paintbrush to write the kanji of 'soul' in his forehead and in his right wrist. 

"Now we have to find the demons." Uncle said and suddenly a stone was thrown at the shop, breaking the window. 

"Aiiyaahhh! Damn children!" the old man yelled grabbing a broom and leaving the shop. "Do you know how much a wind-" he stopped and drew a deep breath when saw the wind demon in his human form grinning in a childish way, beside the sky demon, who was shaking his head and sighing. "JACKIEEEEE!!!! TOHRUUUUUU!!!!" Uncle screamed and the two men came out running to help him. The two demons ran away and Jackie tried to follow them, but Uncle pulled him by his shirt. "Come back here, Jackie!" 

"But... Uncle..." Jackie stuttered but was whacked in the head by him. 

"Do not question Uncle! We take care of them later." 

"Hey, look at this!" Viper called and they entered the shop again. 

"It seems that the demons want to... negotiate." El Toro said reading a piece of paper that had been tied to the stone. 

"Why? What is written there?" Jackie wanted to know. 

"They say that will let Jade and Jack live in return of your and Uncle's lives." Viper said. 

"Uncle, that is perfect! Thus we won't need a locator spell to find them. We have just to go there and once Jack and Jade are safe, you cast the spell to banish all the demons to that other dimension... uh... what was its name again?" Jackie asked. 

"The Realm of Eternal Suffering." Tohru answered. 

"And where do we have to meet the demons?" Paco asked. 

"Uh... Let me see..." Viper murmured reading the paper again. "We have to go to the Helm's Fish Cannery, at noon." 

Everybody glanced at each other. 

"The Helm's Fish Cannery?" 

~/~/~

One o'clock in the afternoon. After searching in the whole fish canner, Jackie and Uncle met again in front of the main door - still inside the factory. Jackie scratched his head in confusion and Uncle was thoughtful. 

"Strange..." Jackie said and his cell phone rang. 

"Hello?" 

_"Jackie, why is everything so quiet there?"_ Tohru asked. He was in a car, some meters away from the fish cannery, along with the rest of the J-Team. 

"The demons are not here, Tohru!" Jackie answered. 

_"No?"_

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Jackie confirmed and on that moment two people suddenly opened the door. They were with a girl and a boy, and were very breathless. 

"Chan...." the woman hissed. 

"Uh... Bai Tsa and Shendu?" Jackie asked unsure and took the cell phone to his ear again. "Never mind, Tohru. They have just arrived..." he said and hung up. "Jade! Jack! Are you all right?" Jackie asked in worry and the duo nodded, and Bai Tsa laughed evilly - as she could with her still breathless breath. 

"Better than you two will be very soon!" she declared pointing at them. 

"Let's put an end to that already! You already made Uncle wait way tooooo long!" Uncle complained. 

"...Well, we had a little setback when Bai Tsa refused to come..." Shendu said cynically just to pick on his sister, who slit her eyes and decided to ignore him by now. 

"But we did not know that you were in such a hurry to die!" 

"Where are the other demons?" Uncle asked glancing around himself and Shendu laughed aloud, crossing his arms self-confidently. 

"You hear that, Bai Tsa? They want to know where our siblings are..." he said and she laughed too. 

"Fools." 

"You don't know either, do you?" Jackie asked and the two demons sweatdropped. 

"It is not of your business!" they shouted. 

"But they are coming soo- Oof" Jade said and Bai Tsa elbowed her. 

"Jackie... we have to banish all the demons at once, or else we will need another sacrifice..." Uncle whispered to his nephew. 

"I think the others will come soon. I'll try to save time." Jackie replied. 

"They are planning something..." Bai Tsa whispered in suspicion. 

"Do not worry, sister dearest. We still have our 'secret weapon'." 

The two demons took their true forms and Jackie was on guard. 

~/~/~

Viper was observing the fish cannery with binoculars while the rest of the J-Team was in around the car. 

"Any luck?" El Toro asked. 

"Not yet." Viper answered and they heard the sound of something hitting the car. They looked horrified at the completely destroyed car that was thrown to the other side of the street, and when they were turned around, saw the rest of the demons. 

"Uh... Was that part of the plan...?" Paco asked sarcastically and everybody backed away. 

"Destroy them all!" Tchang Zu ordered and the demons began to chase them. 

"We have to take the demons to the Helm's Fish Cannery, then Uncle can banish all of them at once!" Viper said and the group nodded. 

~/~/~

"Bad day, bad day, bad day, bad day..." Jackie repeated while trying to dodge the fire and water attacks of Shendu and Bai Tsa. Uncle and Jade tried to stop them, but Bai Tsa began to fight against them, leaving Jackie for Shendu. The fire demon began to try to hit Jackie, consequently destroying the fish cannery during the attempts. Luckily, the Chinese man was very fast and agile. Meanwhile, Uncle was using his magic blowfish to hit the water demon with good chi. 

"Jackieeee! You'd better call the rest of the J-Teaaaaam!!!!" the old man yelled without noticing that it would be kind of impossible at the moment. 

"But Uncle..." Jackie tried to explain and was hit by Shendu. The archaeologist fell to the ground and before he could get up, Shendu pressed him against the ground with one of his hands. 

"It's your end, Jackie Chan!" he declared victorious, but then noticed the kanji of 'soul' written in his forehead and in his right pulse. Shendu immediately let him go and backed away. Bai Tsa stopped attacking Jade and Uncle and turned around to her younger brother. 

"What are you doing?! You just had the chance to kill him!!!" she snapped and Shendu shook his head. 

"No! If I kill him, we are going to be banished to the Realm of Eternal Suffering!" the dragon explained and Bai Tsa immediately understood. 

"AAIIIYAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! Jackieeeeee!!!!!!! The demons realized everything and it is all your fault!!!!!!" the old man blamed. 

"B-But... I-I... don't... Ahh! Never mind..." Jackie said in defeat. When the two demons were about to run away, everybody was surprised when the rest of the J-Team entered the fish cannery being chased by the demons. 

"No! We have to leave now!!" Shendu and Bai Tsa tried to say, but Tchang Zu ignored them. 

"Do not be cowards! After them!" the thunder demon ordered and in the middle of the just formed mess, Uncle managed to approach Jade and Jack, who were together trying to protect themselves from the demons. 

"Jade! You and Jack have to go now! Uncle is going cast a very dangerous spell!" he yelled and Jade hesitated, but trusted her uncles and carried Jack to run with him. 

"Alright, Uncle!" 

"STOOOOOOOOOP!!!!!!!!!" Tchang finally screamed and everybody stopped. 

"All of you! Kill Jackie Chan!" he ordered and all the demons, except Shendu and Bai Tsa, concentrated in chasing Jackie. Hsi Wu noticed Jade running away and flew after her. 

"Wait! You cannot kill him!" Shendu warned but was completely ignored. 

~/~/~

"Jade! Where are we going?" Jack asked while was carried by his cousin and Jade didn't answer, just concentrated in running as fast as she could. And that was what she did until Hsi Wu appeared in front of her. 

"Hsi Wu, get out of my way!" she demanded. 

"Jade... you have never been the type of person who runs away from a fight... What are you up to?" he asked in suspicion and Jade clenched her fist angry. 

"Wow, they are having a great time there, huh?" a voice commented behind him. 

"Julia!" Jade exclaimed in surprise when seeing her friend beside her father. 

"Hsi Wu, take those two to a safe place while I do something about that mess." the girl calmly said and Hsi frowned. 

"Hey, you don't give me orders!" 

"But I know you want to do so..." Julia said smiling suggestively and glancing at Jade. The sky demon hesitated a bit before finally admitting she was right. He grabbed Jade with Jack and flew away. 

"Julia, what are you going to do?" Valmont asked worried. 

"Come on, dad. Let's help them!" she said pulling him by his hand. 

"But... help who?" 

~/~/~

"Enough! I am not going to stay here just to be banished to that damned realm!" Shendu snapped. 

"Neither am I!" Bai Tsa agreed and when the duo was about to leave the Helm's Fish Cannery - or what remained of it - they ran into Julia, who now was shining, dragging her father along with her. 

"Eh... Julia...?" Shendu murmured puzzled with the power she was concentrating. 

"Jackieeee! Stops running away and face the demons!" Uncle ordered. 

"But Uncle, one demon is missing..." Jackie reminded while dodging countless attacks. 

"We take care of him later, do as I say! Now!" Uncle ordered and Jackie suddenly stopped, bravely turning to face the demons. Tchang Zu laughed in victory. 

"So you finally decide to give up, Chan?" 

"Noooooooo! Don't kill him! Don't kill him!" Shendu screamed desperately and Julia, noticing the urgency in the dragon's voice, decided to interfere. 

"Stop!" she demanded and Uncle, seeing that Jackie's death approached, began to chant the spell. Tchang Zu threw a powerful electric attack that hit Jackie and Julia, who had dived to try to save him. A huge purple portal was opened in front of the demons and in the next moment there was an explosion that could be seen even some kilometers away from the city. The explosion didn't get to kill anybody, since it was a black chi explosion, but it injured the humans who were there and stunned the demons. Julia was the only one who didn't suffered even a scratch, and after the purple smoke had vanished, she looked around herself and saw only rubbles of the fish cannery burying the J-Team, her father and some of the demons. 

Hsi and Jade looked in horror at the place where the explosion had happened and Hsi Wu returned as fast as he could. He left Jade and Jack in the ground and they looked at everybody. Some of them were unconscious, others were close to that. 

"Oh, my God! Jackie! Uncle! Tohru! Viper! Paco! El Toro!" Jade screamed while looking for them in the rubbles. 

"Dad! Mom!" Jack joined her. 

Hsi Wu and Julia were still a little disoriented. They weren't sure about where to start, and fortunately some demons managed to get up by themselves. Po Kong looked to be the one in better shape, and helped her younger siblings who were still unable to move. She helped Shendu, Bai Tsa and Xiao Fung. Tchang Zu helped Tso Lan, and Hsi Wu tried to help Dai Gui, who refused it. 

"Tchang Zu... I think we should... retreat..." Tso Lan said and his oldest brother nodded. 

"Retreat!" he ordered. 

"Wait! What about the slaves?" Bai Tsa reminded weakly. 

"Hsi Wu! Bring the slaves!" Po Kong ordered and the demons made an effort to take their human forms and run. 

"I bet that in one minute this place will be full of reporters." Julia said seriously and Jade bit her lip. 

"Hsi Wu! Leave me here taking care of the others! I see you later!" Jade pleaded and Hsi nodded. They kissed and Julia and Jack stared at them openmouthed. 

"But do not forget that you are still mine, Jade!" the sky demon said and quickly grabbed Julia and her unconscious father, and flew to their hideout. The only thing that Jade could do at the moment was to look for their relatives and friends and call an ambulance. 

**To be continued...**

***** 

Where are the enforcers, you may ask... Well, don't worry. They're going to have a participation in this. I can't make them very funny like in the show or some fics here, but I'll try. And before you ask me, I didn't mess up with the realms' names. There're two realms here, one for the demons banishing and the other for the sacrificed being. 

Now I have two things to ask: 

1) Don't you think that Shendu should be a good guy at least for one episode? Think about it... Tiger talisman!^^ Please, sign the petition that is on my profile, or on VampireNaomi's. 

2) Please read my one-shot fic "Dark Rain" and write a friendly review to make me happy. If you think it really sucks, then just forget it and read my other fics, hehe!^^" 

Thank you! 


	21. At the Hospital

You can't even imagine how torturing it was to me to translate this chapter. And I still had to change some scenes, add others... and take offense of certain people. If there's something I hate, it is ignorance! I'm usually a calm person who can put up with many things, but offending my country (and some others too) really makes my blood boil! The point is: I was in such a bad mood that I barely could translate this. 

And I still have to tell you two things. One, Drago does not exist in this fic. And two, I'm SO stupid that this fic ended up ahead of "First Love?", which means that it contains spoilers for that fic! Droga! I hate my slowness! 

sighs Well, thank you very much to everyone who reviewed! 

**Regrem Erutaerc** – Ok, here's chapter 21. It's pretty boring, with no action at all... I could list all the bad points of it here, but the list would get too long. Then again, maybe I just think like that now because I'm angry. Oh, I'm so sorry for not being able to talk to you very much... ó.ò Maybe next week. 

**VampireNaomi** – Oh, yes. Julia growing up definitely is a strange signal. This chapter is the beginning of the spoiler to my other fic. I'm sorry that this chapter is so boring. And do you believe that the original version is even worse? 

**Forgotten Love** – Well, the only good news of the day: there _is_ a romance with Bai Tsa and Valmont, though it won't be as easy as it seems. Have I already mentioned that I like to write love triangles? chuckles I think future chapters (from chapter 26, that is) will have more action, like chapter 20. Especially after being inspired by a great fic called "Silencio"! 

Oh, FF.net has a new system to preview and upload chapters. Just too bad that it deletes the scene division I write and the smilies, and everything else that is not a normal word!!! I can't believe it! Now I hate to separate the scenes with "------"! 

**Chapter 21: At the Hospital**

The ambulances soon arrived and took everybody to the hospital. Jack was still very worried about his parents. Jade hugged her cousin to console him and smiled softly. 

"Don't worry, Jack. They are going to be alright." she said and the boy nodded, beginning to cry quietly. Jade held his hand and guided him to the ambulance where Jackie was. 

------

Po Kong opened the door violently so that everybody could enter as soon as possible. Almost all the demons needed a rest urgently. That strange dark chi explosion had really affected them. Few minutes later, Hsi Wu arrived with Julia and Valmont, and let go of them. She looked to be fine, but her father had to make a great effort just to get up. 

The sky demon eyed all his siblings in confusion. 

"What happened there? What was that explosion?" he asked. 

"I was going to ask the same thing." Tchang Zu said looking at Shendu. 

"I tried to warn you, but you did not listen to me!" the dragon defended. 

"Stop fooling and explain what happened." Tso Lan ordered in a rather annoyed tone. Probably because of the total failure of their ambush. Shendu drew a deep breath and still hesitated before answering. 

"The Chans tried to do the Hsi Sheng ritual." he explained shortly and that was enough for everybody to understand. At first, nobody said anything, which made Julia grow curious. 

"What is that Hsi Sheng ritual?" she wanted to know. 

"It is a very dangerous ritual. You have to offer the soul of somebody you like to banish demons." Shendu answered. 

"H-How could the Chans take such a risk? That ritual is very dangerous!" Xiao Fung stated. Julia was surprised to see that even the wind demon was so serious. 

"That is what concerns me. That strange explosion indicates that their plan failed and that something went wrong. That is not good..." Tso Lan said thoughtfully. 

"But if the ones who were banished to that dimension return... does that mean your son was sacrificed in vain, Shendu?" Hsi Wu asked, making the fire demon flinch. 

"Hsi Wu!" Tso Lan said in a scolding tone. 

"Huh? Shendu, you have a son?!" Julia asked in surprise. 

"I had. I was forced to sacrifice him a long time ago." he answered trying to look like he did not care. Julia's expression saddened. She hadn't known that Shendu had children. 

"I am sure that after that explosion, the Chans won't dare to try it again." Po Kong said to change the subject. 

"That does not matter anymore. Now let's just hope that nothing has changed." Tchang replied. 

"I agree. We do not have time to deal with more enemies." Po added. 

"Enemies?" Julia repeated curiously, though nobody paid her any attention. 

"What are we going to do about the Chans now?" Dai Gui asked and Bai Tsa sighed. 

"I am very tired now. They almost banished us and that costed us too much energy. We can think about the Chans later." Bai Tsa remarked rubbing her temples and stood up. "I am going to my room now. Good night." 

"We all should do the same. We have to be ready to face them tomorrow." Tchang Zu said and all the demons went upstairs, except Po Kong and Hsi Wu, who were in better shape and not so tired. 

The mountain demon glanced around herself and then at her youngest brother. 

"Where is your slave?" she wanted to known and Hsi shrugged. 

"I'll pick her up tomorrow." 

"Why?" 

"Hey, I cannot carry three humans at once so easily." 

Po Kong looked seriously at him, but said nothing. 

"Yeah, Hsi Wu would never let Jade go, especially after they're getting along so well." Julia commented glancing suggestively at the sky demon, who looked away frowning. "Right, dad?" She tapped him lightly in the back, but he yelped and knelt down looking to be in pain. 

"What now?" Po asked bored. 

"I think his injury became worse due to the explosion." Hsi answered. Julia raised a brow and approached her father. 

"Come on, dad. It's not so serious. Let me take a look..." 

When he removed his hand from his abdomen, all of them could see he was bleeding. Julia immediately turned pale and closed her eyes. 

"Blood! I hate blood! Someone, take care of it now!" she yelled turning around. She sat in one of the sofas not even glancing at Valmont or the demons, looking angry. 

"What's her problem?" Po Kong asked in slight confusion. 

"Family problems, I suppose." The crime lord answered looking seriously at her before groaning and pressing his abdomen again. 

"Well, someone has to take care of him." the mountain demon said looking at her youngest brother. 

"He is not mine, Bai Tsa is the one who should do it." 

"All right, then tell her about it." 

------

_Bai Tsa watched the man who was few steps away from her. He had his back to her, but surprisingly she did not care. He was observing the sea in front of him. He was wearing so many clothes that from this angle seemed to be a white robe. He had pale blond hair reaching his waist, tied in a ponytail. He resembled her recently acquired mortal Valmont, but somehow they were still very different. _

The sun was setting in the direction of their sight, so she barely could see him clearly. 

Then she felt like she should say something, but could not remember what. A sharp pain flashed through her and she closed her eyes. Soon the pain was gone and she opened her eyes again, but the man was not there anymore. The weather had changed too, now she felt cold. She heard steps of someone approaching behind her. And yet, she felt so incredibly lonely. 

"I hope now you will listen to our father." Po Kong's voice was said and Bai Tsa didn't know why, but her eyes were filled with tears. "You should have taken care of him. You lost so many mortals that perhaps now you can finally understand." 

Bai Tsa opened her eyes and was surprised to see she was about to sleep. However, the most intriguing fact was that she didn't manage to cry, though she wasn't sad at all. 

"Strange..." she muttered and glared at Hsi Wu and he opened the door of her room. 

"May I enter, sister Bai?" he asked and she snorted. 

"Why do you ask if you already entered?" she snapped. 

"It is about your slave..." Hsi said and Bai's expression immediately changed. 

"What about him?" she asked frowning and he shrugged. 

"He got hurt in that explosion. Perhaps if you -" Before he even finished the sentence, Bai Tsa stood up and interrupted him. 

"Not again!" she shouted and ran to out the room. 

"Again?" His Wu repeated in confusion. 

------

Valmont was lying in a sofa. Po Kong was seated next to him, holding a bloodstained towel. 

"I think he has a hemorrhage." the mountain demon said to Bai Tsa, who approached them followed by Hsi Wu. Julia was still there a bit uneasy. 

"Perhaps we should do what Jade suggested and take him to a hospital..." Hsi remarked and Valmont rose and supported himself with his elbows. 

"No need to, I'm fine..." he said and when trying to get up, he yelped and was forced to lie again. 

"I see." Bai Tsa turned to glance at her sister. "I will take him, then." she said and Po Kong nodded. 

"I'll go too. I have to bring my slave back." Hsi Wu said and Julia finally turned to them, looking amused at him. 

"Oh... I want to see that." 

------

At the hospital, Jack was in a waiting room. Jade walked to him and he raised his glance to look at her. She knelt down in front of him and smiled. 

"It's ok, Jack. The doctors said that none of them is in danger. They're sleeping right now, but we can take a look at them." she said and stood up. The boy also stood up and they headed to one of the rooms. 

She opened the door and Jack sighed in relieve when seeing his father. Jackie looked to be all right, just sleeping peacefully. 

Jade approached her uncle and sat in a chair beside the bed. She held his hand and smiled gratefully, though a bit guilty. He and the others had gone through all this trouble just to save her and Jack. 

She glanced at his hand and then noted something written in his hand. It was the Chinese character of 'soul'. In fact, she remembered to have seen something in his forehead too. She brushed his hair away and leaned forward in the bed. She could see that something had been written in his forehead, but now it seemed to have almost vanished. 

"Jack, stay here. I have to ask Uncle what happened." 

Jade left the room and went straight to Uncle's room. She opened the door and saw he was still sleeping. She knew he was fine, but didn't want to wake him up. She sighed and thought she could ask him later. 

She left Uncle's room and was going back to Jackie's but yelped in surprise when someone suddenly pulled her by her wrist to a small room. 

"Hsi Wu? What are you doing here?" 

"I came to see you." 

She smiled and he kissed her. He couldn't say he was here to take her to the demons' hideout. At least not yet, or else she would never agree with it. 

------

Bai Tsa opened the door of one of the rooms and mentally sighed in relieve when saw Valmont awake. 

"How are you feeling?" she asked entering the room and he snorted. 

"As if you cared..." he muttered bitterly and Bai Tsa slit her eyes, crossing her arms. 

"I see. I did not expect a human to understand me." 

"You have a point. I do not understand you. When we released you seven years ago, you didn't want to have anything with me, you ignored and despised me. And now you don't leave me alone." He also crossed his arms and looked to the opposite direction where she was. 

"You were possessed by Shendu. I hate him as much as I hate Chan, you should thank me for not have killing you that time." 

"So why do you want me now?" 

"I do not want you. I want something else." 

Valmont smiled self-confident. 

"You lie." 

"What do you mean?" 

"You can have my money without forcing me to stay in that house. And you already released all the demons, so you don't need my money anymore." 

Bai Tsa smirked suddenly looking much calmer than a moment ago. 

"So typical of humans. Money means nothing to us demons." 

Valmont turned pale. 

"Then why..." he swallowed and didn't finish the sentence afraid of the answer. Bai Tsa sighed in frustration. Should she say her reasons? 

No, on second thoughts she didn't have to explain anything. Then he yelped and she turned to look at him. 

"What?" 

"Nothing!" 

"Let me see!" she demanded. 

"No!" he shouted pushing her when she tried to approach more, making her lose her balance and almost falling on him. They lifted their look at the same time. 

And stared at each other. They could not say how long it lasted, since it looked like the time had stopped. Bai Tsa on her human form was a beautiful woman, and being so close to her was dangerous and somehow... fascinating. Valmont swallowed and judging by the beats of his heart, could guess he was blushing a little. 

"What are you two doing?!" Julia's voice surprised them and Bai Tsa almost fell completely on the man. The girl had just entered the room and they hadn't noticed her at all. Now she probably thought they were... 

The water demon immediately stood back and also was blushing. Just her luck to be caught in such an embarrassing situation by a little girl. 

"...N-Nothing..." Bai Tsa answered nervously, although trying to seem cold. 

"Nothing?" Julia repeated in suspicion. 

"Yes, I just lost my balance and this human happened to be in my way! What did you think we were doing?" Bai snapped and Julia glanced at her father. 

"Just checking..." she muttered. Valmont and the water demon frowned, avoiding glancing at each other. 

------

Few hours had passed and Jade was still with Hsi Wu. She never thought of how she missed him. It was strange, after all she hated him when she was a child and found out the truth about him. But she could forgive him now when he, the sky demon himself, was saying how he loved her. 

Well, actually he wasn't saying anything, but she guessed it. 

"Jaaaaaade!!!" Jack's voice was heard somewhere in the corridors of the hospital. Jade backed away and drew a deep breath. Jack couldn't see her here, kissing a demon. He had already seen too much some hours ago in the ruins of the Helm's Fish Cannery and was sure he would tell his parents about it. She could defend herself by saying that Hsi Wu forced her, but now it was clear that she wasn't being forced to kiss him. Besides, if he saw the sky demon, he could call his father and Uncle. And a new battle would begin at the hospital. That would not be good. 

Jade glanced around herself and saw that they were close to a door. 

"Hurry, enter here!" she whispered pushing him to inside the room before he could do or say anything. The following moment, Jack appeared in the corridor where she was. 

"Jack, you shouldn't scream like that in a hospital." she scolded. 

"Jade, I managed to take the horse talisman from Section 13! It can heal everybody!" the boy said lifting the talisman and Jade was impressed. She didn't think that Jack would invade Section 13's vault and 'borrow' a talisman. 

"Jack... how did you...?" 

"I learned with you." 

Jade smiled proudly. 

"Very good, Jack. Then let's heal them. You go first, I'll catch you up." she said and he nodded. When he went in one of the rooms, Hsi Wu opened the door and Jade looked at him. 

"You could also heal sister Bai's slave. Then she will go away sooner." 

"You mean Valmont?" she asked remembering he was still prisoner of the demons. He was an enemy, but had already helped her when she was also prisoner in that house. And Jade wasn't heartless, she knew how bad was to be prisoner of a demon. 

------

After healing almost everybody, Jade finally arrived at the last room, where Paco was sleeping. She opened the door and activated the power of the talisman to heal him. The boy opened his eyes a bit confused and looked at Jade. 

"Jade!" 

"Paco, are you ok?" she asked in worry and Paco rose to sit in the bed. 

"Yes, I am... but what about you?" he wanted to know and Jade laughed, rolling her eyes. 

"I'm ok, but it wasn't me who got hit by an explosion of dark chi." she answered and Paco smile. 

"Then you are all right... How good..." he said holding her hand and Jade widened her eyes. "It's been a long time since we met. You grew up, became more mature and pretty..." he said blushing just like Jade, who didn't know what she should say. 

"...P-Paco, I..." she stuttered but Paco continued speaking. 

"You know, Jade... I finally realized I... I..." he hesitated and on that moment Hsi Wu quietly opened a bit the door, without being noticed. He was surprised and angry when seeing the two humans together. What was Jade doing with that human? Was he really holding Jade's hand? His Jade? 

Hsi Wu's eyes glowed red and he was ready to rip him apart... if Jackie has not appeared in the corridor heading to Paco's room. Fortunately Hsi got to hide at the next before the archaeologist could see it. 

"Jade, are you-" Jackie said opening the door completely and stopped when he saw Paco holding Jade's hand. "Oh, sorry... I... didn't know you were... I didn't want to interrupt." Jackie said nervously. Since the last Valentine's Day, he had always thought that Jade and Paco would make a good couple. Now he could have ruined everything. 

"Jackie, it's nothing you're thinking!" Jade said quickly when Jackie was about to leave. "I just came to heal Paco with the horse talisman! Now that he is fine, I have to take it back to Section 13, right?" she explained smiling nervously and left the room. Jackie stared confused at her but didn't say anything. He looked at Paco and the boy just shrugged. Jade closed the door and sighed heavily. She had never expected that Paco would act like that. 

"Jade..." a low hissing voice called behind her and the Chinese girl turned to face Hsi Wu. "What were you and that mortal doing just a moment ago?" he asked seriously. 

"What mortal? You mean Jackie?" she asked trying to pretend she didn't know what he was talking about, but he frowned angry. 

"You know I mean that other mortal. You called him 'Paco'." 

Jade shrugged. 

"We weren't doing anything, just talking." 

"Don't lie to me, Jade!" 

"I'm not lying!" she shouted and looked away. Hsi Wu looked at her in suspicion and Jade remembered the talisman. "So? Where is Valmont?" she asked to change the subject and Hsi sighed. 

"Not very far. Follow me ". 

------

"Viper." Captain Black called entering her room. "Are you all right?" 

"Yes, thanks to the horse talisman." 

"Horse talisman?" 

"Uh... Never mind." 

Captain Black shook his head. Jade must have taken it from the vault again. "Where's Jackie." 

"He was looking for Jade." she answered and he nodded, smiling. 

"Take care." he said before leaving. 

Black began to wander for the corridor having absolutely no idea of where he could find Jackie. He would have gone back to the Viper's room, but gave up the idea when he saw Jade going in one of the rooms. He smiled and followed her. 

------

"Talisman?!" Bai Tsa confirmed and her youngest brother nodded. 

"It will heal your slave so that we can go back to our hideout." 

"Then the Chan family has already been healed too. Hsi Wu, get her to our hideout now." Bai Tsa demanded crossing her arms and Jade widened her eyes, retreating some steps. 

"To be your prisoner again? No way!" 

"Hurry, Hsi! We cannot take any risks! If you let her go, she will tell her relatives where we are hiding!" 

"Hsi Wu! I don't want to go!" Jade stood behind the sky demon as if he would protect her. 

"Well, I think-" Hsi started but was interrupted. 

"Are you going to take orders from a human?" 

"Uh... Could you argue after giving me the horse talisman?" Valmont interrupted. 

"Silence!" Bai yelled and when Jade opened the door to run away, Captain Black was standing in the door. 

"Captain Black!" Jade said in surprise and for some minutes he could just stare at the people in the room. Two criminals of the Dark Hand and two unknown people, who probably worked to Valmont. Since he did not know where the other members of J-Team were, he did the only thing he could. Take the weapon he had kept in his coat to aim it at the two standing adults. 

"Freeze!" he shouted and glanced at Jade. "Jade, come here." 

"Stupid human!" Hsi Wu hissed and he and his sister charged at Black. Because the room was not very large, Jade was pushed middle of the mess and Black got to shoot at the water demon, not having any effect. 

"What? Impossible!" Black yelled in disbelief when seeing that the woman had not suffered anything. Hsi Wu kicked the weapon in the man's hand and it dropped far away from his reach. Black then took a fighting position and got ready to face the duo, although he was not as skilled in martial arts as Jackie. 

"Captain Black!" Jade screamed concerned and when was about to help him, Valmont pulled her by her arm. 

"Wait! Give me the talisman first!" he demanded grabbing the talisman in her hand and Jade tried to pull it back. 

"So that you can help the demons to defeat Captain Black? No way! I gotta help him!" 

Meanwhile Black was fighting against the two demons in their human forms, breaking and dropping several objects. Julia looked very annoyed and finally stood up from her chair. The rage she was feeling activated the power of the jewel and if it wasn't for the tiger talisman, it would have been corrupted. Instead, Julia's body began to glow and the symbol of the jewel appeared in her forehead. 

"Stop that!!! You are so acting like children!!!" she shouted as aloud and she could and the glowing expanded until filling the whole room. When it returned to normal, everybody could see what had happened. Julia now looked to be twelve years old, and was taller than everyone there! 

"What happened?" Bai Tsa asked completely confused. 

"I think we shrank..." Hsi Wu said unsure and when they glanced at the humans, widened their eyes and looked at each other. 

"No, I think that actually... we..." Bai said in desperation. 

"We are children again!!!" Jade screamed placing her hands in her head and Valmont opened his eyes, holding the talisman with his right hand and smiled in victory. 

"Finally." he said, but then glanced around himself and noted what was happening. 

"Gimme that!" Jade took the talisman of his hand and pressed it several times. "Ahh! It's not working!" 

"No, it' can't be! Let me try!" Valmont said taking the talisman back and trying to activate it. "Come on! Come on!" he muttered but didn't obtain any result. 

"You! You did this! I demand you to turn us back to normal!" Bai Tsa yelled pointing at Julia, who smiled self-confident. 

"Make me." the girl answered just flicking on the water demon's head, fell on her youngest brother. 

"Jade! I am... a child!" Captain Black said in horror, staring at his hands, and Jade frowned. 

"Alright, Julia. That was not funny. Turn us back to adults now." 

"I don't believe... I didn't know I could transform you without making any effort... This jewel is great!" Julia said to herself, ignoring her friend. 

"Now see here, I already had my back-to-childhood experience when I met that stupid wizard! I order you to change us back!" Valmont demanded and Julia glared at him. 

"Why should I obey you?" 

"Because I am your father!" 

"You don't give me orders anymore." she replied tapping his head and Valmont clenched his fists. Julia laughed her body began to glow again. "I think now I will have a good time outside." she said and floated through the window. The whole group tried to follow her, but stopped in front of the window. 

"Julia!! Come back here!!!" Valmont shouted. They all turned around when someone opened the door and looked at them in shock. 

"Jackie! Help!" Jade screamed and Black ran to his friend. 

"Jackie! You have to help me! I am a child again!" he said. 

"You got to be kidding...!" Jackie said still very shocked. 

"Jackie, what was that noise-" Uncle asked coming in was as surprised when saw the scene. "AAAIIIIYAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!" his scream echoed three times for the whole city, almost deafening the occupants of the room. 

**To be continued...**


	22. Battle in the Cemetery

I'm so sorry for taking so long to update! You see, I've been so busy that I barely have time to read and review fics, plus an evil writer's block. Since I haven't updated this fic since May, I've decided to repay you by posting a very long chapter (sorry, Forgotten Love!). 

And thanks to all those who reviewed! 

**VampireNaomi** – Hmm... Nope! I really like when the demons team up with the Chans, but that's not going to be my plot. Maybe some demon(s) do it, though. Hee, funny, I think my writing improved a lot too, especially in Portuguese. 

**Forgotten Love** – Wow, thank you! How good that you like the couples! I get really happy when reading your reviews! Hehe, you remind me of how much I wished that Ni Tang could have been turned into a real season, but that's kind of impossible because it's an AU... -.-" 

**kke** – Sorry for the delay, here's the next chapter. Well, Tso Lan will explain that in this chapter. Thank you for reviewing! 

**Hellblaze** – Really? Wow, I thought everyone would prefer her with Jack! I think you'll like chapter 25, since you liked the characters as kids. 

Oh my, completely unable to write action scenes in English. The bad point about having an original version which is four chapters ahead of the translation is that when I read these "old" chapters, I think the writing is bad. Just to make things worse, this chapter was coincidentally written right after a writer's block. 

------

**Chapter 22: Battle in the Cemetery**

All the rest of the J-Team and Jack rushed to the room and were shocked. 

"What's the meaning of that?!" Viper asked while pulled her son to protect him. 

"Jackieee! Do something!" Uncle ordered. 

"But... what am I supposed to do?" 

"Enough! I'll go after Julia!" Valmont snapped and went out through the window. 

"Hey, come back here, you!" Bai Tsa demanded going after him. 

"Wait for me!" Hsi Wu shouted flying up to go after them too, but Uncle caught him by his tail. 

"You are not going anywhere, demon." the old man said glaring at him while Hsi tried to escape. "Jackie! Go after them! Now!" 

Jackie nodded, though still a bit confused, and left through the window. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

Finn, Ratso and Chow were sitting at the bar, drinking. 

"I think we should look for them. Something serious might have happened." Chow said in worry. 

"Yeah, this way we'll have to look for another work..." Ratso added deep in thought. Finn stood up and walked to the bar's exit, while the other two glanced at each other and then to him again. 

"Where are you going?" Chow wanted to know. 

"Let's call to the mansion one more time. If it's no use again, then we'll have to come up with a plan or something like that." the Irish man decided and Ratso couldn't help but smile, while Chow did not change his expression. He stood up and turned to Ratso when he was about to stand up too. 

"Pay the check." Chow said before leaving and Ratso stared at the ground. The barman looked seriously at him, obviously demanding the money. The Italian enforcer searched all his pockets and then smiled weakly. 

"Can you leave that for my credits...?" 

-=-=-=-=-=-

"It's a waste of time to call him again. We need a new plan." Chow tried while the duo left the bar and Ratso followed them with a lost heart expression. They three stopped in the middle of the pavement and Finn looked at his companion in annoyance. 

"What do you suggest, then?" he asked in a mocking tone. 

"I don't know, but have you already thought that maybe they're not there in the mansion anymore?" 

Finn slapped his forehead and took a deep breath. 

"But that's exactly what I've been telling you the whole week! Valmont and Julia could be anywhere right now!" he said and suddenly was run over by something. "What was that?" he asked raising his head from the ground and they stared openmouthed at a glowing Julia running faster than they thought it was possible for a little girl. 

"Hey, isn't that Julia?" Ratso asked, but before someone could answer Finn was run over by someone that stepped on his back. This time, Chow and Ratso were even more surprised. 

"Valmont?!" 

"Big V?" Finn said raising his head again and the crime lord stopped when hearing his name. 

"You?!" he asked turning to look at his henchmen. 

"Why are you mini again?" Chow asked pointing at his boss, who remembered something. 

"Not now, I have to catch up Julia!" he said turning to chase her again and the three men turned around when they heard an angry shout. 

"Come back here, you two! Come back!" a little girl yelled and also stepped on Finn. 

"Oww!" 

"Should we go after them?" Ratso asked unsure while Finn got up all sore. 

"I don't see any demon around. This seems to be the perfect opportunity." Chow pointed out. 

"Then what are we waiting for? C'mon!" Finn finally decided after recomposing and they ran after then three children. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

"Uncle, what are you going to do to him?" Jade asked concerned, watching how Hsi Wu struggled to take flight. 

"Keep the sky demon in a safe place until Uncle has time to think of what to do." Uncle replied. 

"What happened, Yade? Why are you children again?" Paco asked kneeling down to look at her. 

"I don't know, it was a mess in that room and Julia began to shine... I had no idea she could do that sort of thing." 

"Hmm... I had something very important to say, but that will have to wait. We have to turn you and Captain Black back to normal." Uncle stated. 

"That's right! We have to find Valmont's daughter and force her to turn us back to adults! And then arrest her and her father." Black said opening the door and left. 

"Aiyaah! Magic must defeat magic!" Uncle snapped and Viper sighed. 

"Maybe we should help Jackie." she said and the old man nodded. 

"You go, but Tohru comes with me." he said taking a blue suitcase from a closet. "And you stay here!" He pushed Hsi Wu into the suitcase and closed it. Jade raised a brow. 

"Come on, Yade! Let's go!" Paco called as Viper and El Toro left the room, but Jade sighed sickly. 

"I'll stay here... I'm not feeling very well..." she said sounding tired and sat on the bed. 

"I see. It must have been a very tiring day for you." the young man said and turned to glance at Uncle. "I'll go with them." 

Uncle nodded and Paco rushed out the room. 

"Tohru, Jade, Jack! Reseaaaarch!" 

-=-=-=-=-=-

After running for almost the whole city, Julia finally stopped when she saw an ice cream parlor. She entered it and ran away some seconds later. The man who was selling the ice creams tried to catch her, but due to the Hun Yu jewel, she was very fast. 

Few blocks away, Valmont stopped to get his breath back and Bai Tsa stopped beside him, not tired at all. 

"You are so weak." 

"Shut up! It's hard to run in the pavement without shoes!" 

"You better watch your tone, or I shall-" she stopped when Valmont ignored her and began to run again. "Hey, I'm talking to you! You must listen to me!" 

-=-=-=-=-=-

"For how long will they keep running?" Chow asked panting, as well as his two companions. 

"Can't... run... anymore..." Finn murmured almost stopping running. 

"Hey, guys... Don't you recognize this place?" Ratso asked and the other two men glanced around themselves. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

Now Julia was not running, but cheerfully walking, eating her ice cream. 

"Smashing. I never felt so great." she said in victory, and then stopped when she saw something on the other side of the street, and dropped her ice cream. Julia stared at the black gate, looking slightly disturbed. She crossed the street and floated so that she would not have to pass through the bars of the gate. Bai Tsa and Valmont arrived on time to see her. 

"I can't believe... she stopped... it's about time..." he murmured breathless and Bai Tsa observed the gate in interest. 

"Why has she gone there?" the water demon asked and Valmont seemed to have realized something. 

"That place is..." 

-=-=-=-=-=-

Julia just stood there in front of a grave, looking at it gloomily. 

"Mom..." Julia murmured, starting to cry. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

"What's she doing? What's this place?" Bai Tsa kept asking and Valmont lowered his head. 

"It's the cemetery where her mother was buried..." he answered quietly and Bai's expression was slightly different. She was about to say something, but he spoke first. 

"May I talk to her?" 

Bai Tsa was a bit surprised that for the first time he had bothered to ask her permission. Even though she was a demon sorceress, she had felt sorry when her mother had died. She never let anybody know of her feelings, she had her pride too. 

"You may go." she replied shrugging. "But I shall keep an eye on you." 

The crime lord did not say anything else, and passed though the bars of the gate. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

"I knew it." Finn said shaking his head. He and the other two enforcers were watching Valmont and the water demon from the other side of the street when Jackie caught them up. 

"...You...?!" 

"Shh, this is very serious." Ratso said and the archeologist looked at the cemetery's gate. He saw the water demon in front of it and frowned. Then he decided to turn the block over to enter the cemetery on the other side. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

"Why did you have to leave me...? And it was all his fault!" Julia muttered clenching her fists and felt that someone was approaching. 

"Julia..." 

"Don't touch me!" the girl snapped moving away from Valmont when he tried to place his hand on her shoulder. 

"Julia, why do you keep blaming for that? I didn't do anything!" 

"Exactly! You could have done something, but you didn't!" 

"What did you expect me to do? I don't have healing powers. I couldn't have done nothing to help her." 

"You disgust me. A real man would admit his fault. I could never stand the idea of having a father like you!" 

"Are you going to start that again?! Why can't you see the truth and live your own life instead of tormenting me?" 

A glowing signal appeared on Julia's forehead as she tried to keep her self-control. 

"I hate you." she muttered. The signal's glow became stronger as her rage increased. "I hate you!" 

"Julia-" 

"Shut up!" She punched him in the face, making him fall to the ground. She then realized that now that she was older, taller and stronger than him, she could finally fight him. She smirked and slowly approached him. He got up aware of what she was thinking and backed away few steps. 

"Julia... you wouldn't fight against me..." 

She snorted. "Why not? That's all I have always wanted." 

"I will not fight you!" 

"Good. Thus it will be even easier to me." She tried to hit him again, but this time he was ready and managed to dodge it. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

Bai Tsa stared confused at the scene. Human beings were always very sentimental, especially with family. She had never imagined that would see someone fighting against her father with so much hatred. And now when that little had the power of the Hun Yu jewel, she was really dangerous. Bai Tsa frowned and nodded determined. She would not let a little girl kill her slave. He was her property and only she had the right to have his life in her hands. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

Jackie nimbly leaped to climb up the wall and landed on his feet inside the cemetery. He ran as fast as he could and stopped when he noticed the fight between Julia and Valmont. 

Meanwhile, Viper, El Toro and Captain Black arrived at where Finn, Ratso and Chow were still staring without being able to really see what was happening. That was not necessary, though. They could guess where this was going. 

"The Dark Hand?!" Black shouted in surprise and the three men turned to look at him. 

"You're..." Chow said frowning. 

"No way! Captain Black!" Finn finished and Ratso burst out laughing. 

"Stop laughing! This is not funny!" 

"Ratso, how can you laugh in a situation like this?" Finn scolded elbowing him. 

"Sorry..." the Italian man said rubbing the back of his head. 

"Where's Jackie?" Viper asked glancing at her surroundings and Finn pointed at the cemetery. 

"He's there. But you better not go there now." 

-=-=-=-=-=-

Tchang Zu was impatiently walking from one side to the other. He hated to wait, and it was even more frustrating after the failure of their ambush. 

"They left for a good while already. Why are they taking so long to return?" 

"Bai Tsa's slave was badly injured, those things take time." Tso Lan said to calm him. Tchang snorted and after a while stooped to think about something. 

"Perhaps something serious has happened to them." he said with a low tone and raised his glance, eying his siblings who were seated on sofas and also waiting for the others. "Shendu!" he suddenly shouted, causing his siblings to wake up from their thoughts. 

"Uh? Me?" the fire demon asked still a little confused and Tchang Zu nodded, then pointed at him. 

"That girl is your slave, and she has the power of the Hun Yu jewel. She is your responsibility, and if she joined forces with the other humans, you shall pay for that!" he threatened and Shendu surprisingly calmly stood up. 

"I assure you she would not do such thing." 

"How can you be so sure?" 

"I just know it." the dragon answered looking away deep in thought, and his oldest brother narrowed his eyes. 

"Then prove it and go look for them!" 

Shendu nodded and left. Dai Gui and Xiao Fung were not paying attention and were the ones who looked relaxed, while Po Kong and Tso Lan were very concerned. They were not worried for the same reason as Tchang Zu, but about that mysterious dark chi explosion. They knew what could happen when it came to be that dimension. They also knew that Shendu, even being one of the youngest ones, was aware of that and worried as well. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

Shendu took his human form and ran towards the direction where he felt the presence of the Hun Yu jewel. He did not even notice that when he passed for a dark alley, a figure smiled evilly while watched his movements. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

Julia hit her father with a flying kick and Valmont fell to the ground. Before he could get up, she aimed her palm at him and began to shine. All that energy was concentrated in her palm, forming a chi sphere. 

"Let's put an end to this once and for all." she said narrowing her eyes and when she was about to attack him, someone kicked her in the face. The energy ended up hitting a tree behind Valmont and the girl fell some meters away. 

"Don't dare to kill a slave of mine! I am the one who can decide if he must live or die!" Bai Tsa stated standing between Julia and Valmont, facing the girl. 

Julia calmly got up and did not show any sign of pain. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and looked seriously at the water demon in her true form. 

"I wasn't going to kill him, just make him suffer more than ever." she replied coldly. Bai Tsa frowned and snorted. 

"You are crazy! Or maybe that Hun Yu jewel is affecting your brain." 

"So you want to fight for him? How pitiful, I though you were smarter. You can't defeat me. Now I'll destroy both of you." 

"What? You say I cannot defeat you?" Bai Tsa confirmed clenching her fists angrily. Then, a sly smirk played on her face. "You are so arrogant." 

"No, wait!" Valmont shouted, but none of them paid him any attention. 

"You insolent fool!" Bai Tsa yelled charging at Julia, but someone stopped her by grabbing her tail. 

"I would not do it if I were you." Shendu in his human form said. 

"Shendu? What do you think you are doing?" the water demon asked while struggled to be released. The dragon threw her next to Valmont and glanced at Julia. 

"I know how hard is to have someone tormenting you all the time, but you must stay calm. Or else the Hun Yu jewel will be corrupted, and so will you." he said to Julia. She glanced at him and smiled. 

"Come on, are you going to tell me that you are dying to give your older sister a trouncing?" 

Shendu looked at Bai Tsa for a while, deep in thought. 

"How right you are right." 

-=-=-=-=-=-

"Jade, Jack! You two make tea while we do research." Uncle said when as they approached his shop. 

"Yes, Uncle..." the two youngsters answered with no enthusiasm. 

"Uncle, can we enter the shop with Hsi Wu?" Jade asked pointing at the blue suitcase that Tohru was carrying and Uncle thought for a brief moment. 

"No. In this case, you and Jack must take the sky demon to Section 13..." He began to search for something in his bag. "...and cast this potion in his cell." he said taking a small bottle with a green liquid and handing it over to Jade. "After that you come to the shop and make tea." 

"No problem, dear Uncle." Jade said smiling slyly. The group stopped in front of shop and Tohru handed the suitcase over to Jack. 

"And don't take too long! Hurry!" Uncle snapped before entering the shop followed by his pupil. 

"This is too easy." Jade murmured to herself. 

"What did you say?" Jack asked raising a brow. He knew very well that expression of hers and that was not good. 

"Nothing. C'mon, c'mon! To Section 13!" she said cheerfully, gently pushing the boy. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

Tchang Zu's eyes glowed red as he impatiently looked at the window. It began to thunder outside and it seemed that a storm was coming. His siblings eyed him in a slight fear, as if the change of the weather was directly linked to the thunder demon, and that was never a good signal. 

"What's taking them so long?" he asked again, punching the wall. He turned to look at his siblings and pointed at them. "All of you! Come with me!" he ordered. 

"What?! We have to go too?" Xiao Fung asked not liking the idea. 

"Yes! Come on, move!" 

-=-=-=-=-=-

"Why are you looking at me like that, Shendu? Don't tell me you want to fight me?" Bai Tsa asked in a provoking tone, crossing her arms rather amused. 

"Why not? You always abused me, and now I have the chance to get my revenge." 

"You insolent! I shall teach you not to disrespect an elder sister!" Bai Tsa charged at him and he easily stopped her by just placing his hand on her forehead and pushing it. She tried to go on to hit him, but completely failed and could just give up, breathless. 

"You are pathetic, my sister." Shendu commented in amusement and she jumped back, clenching her fists angry. 

"Fool! You think that just because you are bigger than me you can defeat me, but you are so very wrong! I'll kill you!" she threatened pointing at him and Shendu just shrugged. 

"Then try, if you can." he challenged. She slowly approached him and kicked him in the shin. He screamed in pain and knelt down to press his hands against his shin. 

He then glared at her, his eyes glowing red. 

"Why, you- Now I shall kill you!" he shouted charging at her. He did not even bother to take his true form for that. 

"Come, I am not afraid of you!" she shouted back also jumping forward to attack him, and the two demons began to fight, despite their difference of size. Bai Tsa's advantage was her agility. 

Valmont stepped back while watched the fight and would have run away if Julia had not suddenly appeared in front of him. 

"Where do you think you're going?" 

"J-Julia... how did you get here so fast?" he asked in surprise and she smiled. 

"We still have a fight to finish." she said. Now two fights were happening at the same time in the cemetery. Valmont's enforcers and the J-Team just watched them, considering if they should interfere or not. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

Jade and Jack hurried into Section 13 and ran until they met Captain Black's children in the corridor. 

"Vinicius! Alice!" Jack called and they turned to see him. 

"Jack, who's your new friend?" Vinicius asked. 

"Vinicius, it's me! Jade!" 

"Jade?!" the twins shouted in confusion at the same time. 

"Hurry! We need to arrest the wind demon!" Jack said pointing at the blue suitcase he was carrying and Jade frowned. 

"That's the _sky_ demon! Duh!" she corrected and he shrugged, rolling his eyes. 

"Yeah, whatever. Who cares? They're all the same." 

Jade clenched her fists and suppressed the desire to beat him up. Alice and Vinicius glanced at each other and then to the other two children. 

"Uh... I have no idea of what you're talking about, but if you want to keep that suitcase somewhere, feel free to use our vaults." the red-haired boy said still a bit confused and Jade grabbed the suitcase from her cousin's hands. 

"Yep, that's exactly what I'm going to do!" she said walking towards the vaults, still looking at them three children and smiling cynically. "Uhn, Jack, you better go to Uncle's shop now! We don't want him to get all cranky because you didn't make his tea, right? Oh, take Vinicius and Alice with you!" she said and turned around to quicken her pace. 

She ran as fast as she could and went in a random room. Fortunately, nobody was there. She sighed and opened the suitcase. 

"Ow, it's about time." he complained rubbing his head. When Jade got up, she groaned and seemed to have lost her balance for a moment. "Are you all right?" he asked and she forced a smile. 

"Yeah, just tired." she said and sat down. Hsi Wu relaxed a bit and observed the whole room. 

"Where are we?" he asked flying up and landed on a table to obtain a better sight. 

"In Section 13." Jade answered. 

"Section 13?" he repeated frowning and Jade smiled. 

"Oh, yeah. I think you don't know it. Well, it's the place where we keep the talismans." 

"True, I think Shendu mentioned it once." he said in though and flew again, this time landing in front of her. "Well, that is not important. Let's go to my siblings, I'm sure they can turn us back to normal." he proposed and Jade raised a brow. 

"I have a better idea." she said and the sky demon's smile died. "Let's go to Uncle's shop, he must have found a spell to do it already." 

"If you don't remember, I cannot enter that shop." Hsi Wu said seriously. 

"Then I invite you." 

He sighed and rolled his eyes. 

"I don't think your uncle will help me, but perhaps he finds a good idea to banish me to another dimension." 

"Tch! He won't know you're there! He will turn me back to adult, I learn how to do it and when nobody is looking I'll turn you back to normal." 

"I don't think it's-" 

"Ow!" she suddenly screamed, holding her stomach. 

"What is it?" he asked alarmed and she tried to look calm." 

"Nothing, I'm fine." 

"Really? You don't look fine." 

"But I am... Look, how about you go to your siblings and I go to Uncle, then?" she suggested making an effort to stand up and Hsi shook his head. 

"I'm not going to leave you alone, Jade. You are not feeling well." 

"I'll be fine! This probably is some sort of side effect caused by Julia's magic. Whatever it is, Uncle will help me." 

Hsi Wu hesitated for a while, but reluctantly nodded. 

"All right, then I'll get you later." He glanced around himself and tilted his head. "But how am I going to get away from here without attracting attention? Even if I take my human form, the agents will suspect of a strange child in a secret base." 

"Hmm... I know it! The ventilation duct! It's an easy way, I always did that when I was a kid." 

The sky demon glanced at her, smiling. 

"Then it was a long time ago. I wonder if you still remember how to do it." 

"Are you calling me old?" 

He laughed and flew up to the ventilation duct, and Jade looked angry at him before laughing too." 

-=-=-=-=-=-

Valmont managed to him Julia and she fell to the ground. Before she could do anything, he jumped onto her and pressed her shoulders against the ground. 

"Enough, Julia! Stop that!" he demanded and she used her feet to push him and get him off her. She got up and now Valmont's expression was really serious. He took a fighting position, which made her slit her eyes. "I've tried not to hurt you, but you don't give me any choice. I have to put an end to this and then take you to someone who can exorcize whatever is possessing you." He began to attack his daughter and she noticed that now his moves were much faster and his blows much more stronger. 

"Blast!" she muttered and he grabbed her right wrist. She tried to punch him with her free hand, but he also grabbed her left wrist. "Grrr! Get away from me!!" she yelled and her body began to glow. That glow spread for about fifty meters along with an energy that was causing a gale and blowing everyone near there and even breaking some fragile trees. 

Obviously, the fight between Shendu and Bai Tsa was interrupted. Everybody's eyes were obscured by the strong light and only after some minutes everything was normal again. The demons were the first ones to get their sight back, and glanced in confusion around themselves. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

Jackie had been blown away from the cemetery, and when opened his eyes he found himself inside a bakery, on the counter. He guessed that his back should be hurting because he had just ended up there though the window, breaking the pane. The people at the bakery were all lying in the ground covering their heads. 

"What was that?" someone asked. Jackie got up and stared at the cemetery. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

It had not been any different with the J-Team. They had been blown away too, and each one ended up in a different place. Captain Black was in the middle of the street, and Viper had to run to save him from being run over by a car. El Toro and Paco also recovered rapidly and turned to stare at the cemetery that now was a bit far away. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

Valmont opened his eyes and noticed he was in a tree. Thanks to it, he had not ended up far away and still could see the two confused demons. He carefully observed his surroundings, and knowing that the cause of the explosion had been Julia, he guessed she was still around. He did not see her anywhere, though. 

He then came to the conclusion that she should be looking for him. After seeing her powers again, perhaps it was not such a good idea to face her. Besides, the demons looked so confused that they would not even remember him. This was the perfect opportunity to run away, thus he would finally be free again. 

The white-haired boy jumped from the tree and landed on his feet. He gave three steps back still watching the demons to make sure they did not see him. After that, he turned around and ran. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

"What just happened here?" Bai Tsa wondered. 

"I think Julia used the power of the Hun Yu jewel again." Shendu answered thoughtful and she frowned. 

"It is too much power for a little girl, we should stop her." she said and the dragon narrowed his eyes in suspicion. 

"Don't you find it strange?" he asked. 

"Of course it's strange! A human child stronger than us is an absurd!" 

"No, I'm talking about that explosion!" he snapped. 

"Oh, that is not strange. It happened once, and at least this time we did not turn into anything." 

"No, but..." He paused. "Where is Julia?" 

Bai Tsa also looked for her and placed her hand on her hips. 

"I don't know. Why?" 

"Don't you understand? If she caused the explosion, she should still be here!" 

"Hmm... I see your point." she replied crossing her arms and after a while she seemed to have remembered something. "Hey, where is my slave?" 

"Who cares about him, we have to know what exactly happened here! This can be serious!" 

"It is serious! I lost my slave because of your slave, so you are responsible! It's all your fault!" 

"My fault?" 

"It was you who let her possess the Hun Yu jewel, and now she does not stop causing trouble!" 

They were about to fight again when a familiar voice interrupted them. 

"Hey!" 

The two siblings turned to the direction where the voice came from to see the rest of their siblings and Valmont, who was being held by his shirt in the back side by Dai Gui. 

"Lost something?" Po Kong asked pointing with her thumb at Valmont, while he struggled to be released. 

"My slave!" 

Everyone's glances were focused on her. 

"Bai Tsa, what happened to you and your slave?" Xiao Fung asked. 

"It was that Julia! She turned me into a child and now she's gone!" the water demon yelled. 

"The girl must have lost her control on the jewel and its power was activated, fulfilling her wishes or materializing her thoughts. Since that power is not total yet, I think I can turn you back to normal." Tso Lan explained. 

"Where's the girl?" Tchang Zu wanted to know, visibly furious, which made Bai Tsa and Shendu flinch. 

"I- I... don't know..." they answered nervously and their oldest brother's eyes glowed dangerously. 

"Calm down, Tchang Zu. There is no point in worrying about that now, it is all right. We must return to our hideout and make an antidote for them." Tso Lan said. 

"Not yet, we have to find Hsi Wu first!" Xiao Fung reminded. 

"Brother and sisters!" a voice called and everyone looked upward to see the sky demon flying above them. 

"I think that's not necessary anymore." Bai Tsa remarked. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

Julia opened her eyes a little dizzy and when her sight was normal again she found herself being carried by a very agile and fast woman who nimbly leaped from a roof to another. 

"Who are yo-" she could not finish her question when the woman, whose face she could not see yet, pressed her hand against Julia's mouth. 

"Silence, child. Now you must obey me." the woman said and landed on the ground, in front of some wreckages of a former building under construction. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

Finn barely could see his companions, but could hear them and knew by his voices that they were all right. He had no idea of what had happened. After they saw Valmont again nothing more made sense. Now they just knew that they had been blown away by a energy and ended up buried by the wreckages of a building. 

"Finn, I think we found a way!" Ratso announced and Chow helped him to move away a metal plate. Finn followed their voices and also helped to move away the plate. When they got it and could see light again, they sighed in relieve. However, that light was covered by a shadow. They looked up at the figure in front of them and widened their eyes when seeing Julia with her mouth covered by the figure's hand and trying to break free. 

"Who are you?" Finn asked carefully and the woman smiled. She had white but slightly tanned skin, and her hair and her eyes were brown. She was wearing a pink and red Chinese dress, and looked very coldly at them. 

"I think you three will do." 

**To be continued...**


	23. The Proposal

I'm so happy that I got five reviews! I think I never got so many reviews for only one chapter of a JCA fic before! Thank you very much!! 

**Hellblaze** – I bet you got it right, hehe. I made Bai Tsa act childishly on purpose, maybe a bit inspired by the noble horse episode. Valmont did the same to annoy Tohru, so why not Bai Tsa too? n.n" 

**Queen Jade** – Really cute, huh? I can just imagine little Hsi Wu... heehee. You'll soon find out why Jade's stomach hurt. 

**Forgotten Love** – Hmm, knowing you, I bet you got it right too. You like the woman who captured Julia? ... I think you'll like to know who she is. You say I have the characters perfect in this, but I still think I need to work on Shendu and Bai Tsa, or two certain people might want to kill me. 

**VampireNaomi** – Oh, I just remembered that there would be some V&BT vs. J&SD in this fic! Unfortunately, there won't be so much of them, but I'll try to add them as much as possible. I think I know what you'll think about the "mysterious woman" at first, but don't reach any conclusions just yet. Wait and see, ok? 

**Zero-Nightmare** – Hi! Thank you for reviewing, I hope you like this chapter too. By the way, I've been wondering if you'll write something for JCA. Will you? 

By the way, I'll go on a trip tomorrow and will be back in one week. Meanwhile, you can find out which demon you are in my new site (which is the "homepage" in my profile). The test is in the "Fun Stuff" section. n.n 

------

**Chapter 23: The Proposal**

After seeking in the whole cemetery and few blocks around it, the J-Team and Captain Black met in front of the cemetery again and Jackie shook his head. 

"This is useless, they must be very far away already..." 

"Look on the bright side, Jackie," Viper said placing her hand on his shoulder. "At least we managed to rescue Jack and Jade." 

"But Yade is still a child," Paco pointed out. 

"Well, we don't have to worry about that. I'm sure Uncle and Tohru already found out a way to turn her and Captain Black back to normal," Jackie assured. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

Jade opened the door of the shop and saw Tohru carrying two books to the library and Jack, Alice and Vinicius. 

"It's about time, Jade!" Jack said and Jade frowned. 

"Shut up, I'm not on the mood to put up with you, ok?" she snapped and went downstairs, heading to her room. Jack blinked in confusion and the twins glanced at each other. 

"I think she's on a bad mood," Alice commented in a low tone. 

"Well, duh," her brother said, trying to sound like the Chinese girl. He then glanced at the stairs and took a deep breath. "Maybe I should ask her what's wrong." 

"You go there. I won't take more risks with her anymore," Jack said crossing his arms and Alice giggled while Vinicius went downstairs. 

From the door or the library, Tohru sighed. He was worried about Jade as well, but perhaps Vinicius could solve it by talking to her. Then again, if he really wanted to help Jade, he should be helping Uncle to find a way to turn her back to an adult. 

He lowered his head and slowly went back to the library. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

Alice and Jack watched how the Japanese man left and found themselves alone in the room. They glanced at each other and smiled a bit nervously. 

"I-I'm happy that you're back, Jack..." Alice said to start a conversation and break the silence. Jack relaxed a bit but avoided looking at her. 

"It is... good to be back," he replied, rubbing the back of his head. 

"Everybody missed you. Even in the school." 

"School...?" he repeated remembering something. "That's right, the school! What will my teacher say? Do you know if my father came up with an excuse for my disappearance?" 

"I think not, he was too busy looking for you." 

"Oh no, what am I going to do now? I have school tomorrow and-" 

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Alice interrupted and Jack looked at her curiously. 

"What?" 

"They changed the date of the dance!" 

"Really? Then when is it going to be?" 

The girl lowered her head and stared at the floor sadly. 

"Tonight." 

"What?!" he shouted in surprise. "Tonight?! Are you kidding me?! That's too early! I don't even have time to ask someone to go with me, and I don't wanna to go alone!" he complained. 

The red-haired girl finally allowed herself to look at him, but still said nothing. Jack sighed and looked at her. 

"What about you? Why you're going with?" he asked hopelessly. 

"Actually... nobody asked me..." she admitted and lowered her glance again. He stared at her with a sorry expression for a while, until he had an idea the made him blush. He stood in front of her, crossing his arms behind himself. 

"A-Alice..." he called shyly and she looked hopefully at him. 

"Yes?" 

"D-Do you... uhn... do you..." he stuttered and paused for a moment to calm down. He swallowed and took a deep breath. "Would you... like... to go to the dance with me...?" 

She smiled, her expression was now cheerful again. 

"Sure, I'd love to." 

-=-=-=-=-=-

Vinicius knocked at the door of Jade's room and was quiet to hear an answer. 

"Jade... can I go in?" he asked when it seemed that she would not say anything. She still did not answer and he opened the door carefully. "Jade?" 

Jade was lying in her bed, writhing as if she had just been punched in the stomach. When he approached, he noted that cold sweat dripping down her temples and her breath was difficult. 

"Jade, are you ok?" he asked in worry and she opened her eyes. 

"Vinicius...?" she asked weakly and the boy went a bit closer. 

"Is something wrong? Do you want me to call Uncle?" 

"No!" she shouted suddenly rising and he stepped back, staring at her. She realised what she had just done and looked away. "I-I mean, don't worry. This is nothing, I'm fine. I just want to be alone... please?" 

He reluctantly nodded and left the room, glancing at her one more time before closing the door. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

"Tso Lan, you have not found the spell yet?" Bai Tsa asked impatiently to the moon demon, who was in the kitchen mixing some ingredients in a saucepan. He shook his head. 

"Many ingredients are missing," he replied and that was enough for her to understand that she would not be back to normal any soon. She sighed both frustrated and angry, crossed her arms and went back to the living room. Hsi Wu flew from where he was and landed next to her. 

"Well?" 

She shook her head. "He needs more ingredients," she answered. He hissed impatiently and sat in the sofa again. 

Bai Tsa glanced around herself and noticed that Tchang Zu, Dai Gui and Shendu were not there. She guessed they could not stand staying in a house anymore and went out to have fun by killing humans. She really did not care and was even glad that they were not around. This child form was humiliating and she was trying to avoid her siblings as much as possible, especially Shendu. 

"So, what are we going to do about the ingredients?" Hsi Wu asked. 

"How am I supposed to know? We have no idea of where we could get them." She hissed and began to think. 

"Perhaps we can find them in the old Chan's shop," Xiao Fung suggested and she looked angry at him. 

"Oh, yes, great idea. And how do you expect us to enter there?" 

He shrugged. "Your slave can invite us." 

"That's not the problem, you idiot!" she shouted, making him flinch. "The Chans are there and will not leave until they find out an antidote for the girl." 

"What about my slave, then? She could bring us the ingredients," Hsi Wu stated. 

"No, she could not!" Bai Tsa snapped at him. 

"Why not?" 

"Because, she is now free and in the safety of her family. She is still our enemy and you cannot force her to work for you anymore!" 

Hsi Wu opened his mouth to protest, but gave up the idea. He could not tell his siblings about his relationship with Jade. 

"You know..." Po Kong spoke after a long silent while and everybody's glance turned to her. "That little girl named Julia..." she began and paused to eat some cookies. 

"Yes, we should find her," Xiao Fung completed her sentence and Bai Tsa glared at him. 

"And why should we? We have more important things to do." 

"I do not trust her, my sister," he answered. 

"Me neither. Although she is a human, she helped us on her own will. That cannot be good," Po Kong added, still chewing the cookies. 

"So what? She was just a child and too arrogant for someone her age. It's just as well that she's gone. Now we have nothing to worry about," Bai Tsa snapped. 

"But the power of the Hun Yu jewel is growing stronger. That's beginning to get dangerous even for us," Hsi Wu said. 

"So I say that we have to look for her and eliminate her while we still can," Po Kong stated and Valmont widened his eyes. 

"What?! Eliminate her?! You can't do that!" 

"Why not?" Xiao asked and then seemed to have remembered. "Oh, that's right... She is your daughter." 

Hsi Wu flew again to land next to the crime lord. "I thought you two did not get along well," he remarked and Valmont stood up to get away from the sky demon. 

"That doesn't mean I hate her!" 

"But she does hate you," Bai Tsa pointed out, smirking. 

"I don't care, I won't allow you to do that!" 

"As if you could do that..." 

"Bai Tsa, why don't you stop arguing with your slave and try to think of a way to get the missing ingredients?" Tso Lan scolded entering the living room and everybody looked at him. 

"I tried, Tso, but it is impossible..." she admitted and sighed. The whole room was silent for a moment, until Valmont smiled. 

"I think I have an idea," he announced. 

"It's no good!" Xiao shouted teasing and Bai Tsa glared at him. 

"Xiao, let him speak!" She demanded and turned to look at the boy again. 

"Well, Julia once mentioned about Chan's son. She said he was too naïve and easy to manipulate. We could use him," Valmont proposed. 

Tso Lan, Bai Tsa and Hsi Wu thought for a moment. "It is a good idea," the moon demon approved. 

"Not bad..." Bai Tsa narrowed her eyes, smirking. "...for a human," she said the in a mocking tone, making Valmont glare at her. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

"_This_ is the best place you have?" the woman who captured Julia asked in despise to the three men behind her. They were in front of the Dark Hand's new Headquarters. She was still holding Valmont's daughter, who was trying to break free. Even though she had the power of the jewel, this woman was still much stronger than her. And she had done something very strange to Valmont's enforcers. 

Julia was surprise to see how they suddenly looked like they were hypnotised. Obviously, this woman was not ordinary at all. 

"Yes, it is..." Finn answered in a zombie tone and she snorted. 

"Whatever. It's better than the place he took me to." 

"He who?" Julia asked practically yelling while the woman entered the building. "And that's where I live, you can't stay here!" she continued protesting, but was completely ignored. As they went in, Julia hoped that they would meet someone who might help her, but the building seemed to be deserted. 

"Take me to the best room you have in here," she ordered when they took the elevator. Chow pushed the button for the fourteenth floor. Julia relaxed a bit, there was no point in trying to escape inside an elevator. The elevator stopped and they stepped out, heading to the last door in the end of the long corridor while Julia began to struggle again. 

Ratso rushed a bit to reach the door first and open it to the woman, who smiled pleased. As soon as they went in Julia's apartment, the woman closed the door and stood in front of it. She whispered five words in Chinese, slipping her index finger along the border of the door. A green line appeared where she touched and was gone few minutes later. 

"Now that you cannot escape, you may wake up," she said snapping her fingers and the three men blinked and looked confused around themselves. 

"Where are we?" Chow asked. 

"And who are you?" Finn asked pointing at the unknown woman. She let go of Julia, who was immediately on guard. 

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" she questioned. 

"Quiet! I ask the questions here!" the woman snapped and looked at the girl curiously. "Tell me, who are _you_? You have such a great power, and I saw you fighting against Bai Tsa. And you were with Shendu." 

Julia frowned. "You know the demons?" 

"Answer me!" 

"Make me," Julia provoked self-confidently and the woman's eyes turned from brown to glowing red. The four humans gasped and backed away. 

"She's a demon?!" Chow asked horrified. 

"Do not defy me, child! I am not afraid of you!" she hissed with a demoniac voice. 

"So what? I'm not afraid of you either," Julia said rather calmly and her opponent's eyes turned brown again. 

"No," the woman murmured pressing her temple. "I did not bring you here to fight. And I did not kidnap you either. Besides, your name is not important, your power is." 

Julia placed her hand on her chest. "Yeah, I have the power of the Hun Yu jewel," she stated proudly. 

"The Hun Yu jewel?!" the woman repeated in surprise. "But... you don't look pure." 

"And I think I'm not, but that's why I have the tiger talisman to neutralise it and keep the balance." 

"The tiger talisman?" She narrowed her eyes, looking serious. "Shendu actually gave you the tiger talisman?" 

"Well... Kind of." Julia answered shrugging. "So, who are you? Shendu's friend?" 

The other snorted in amusement. "Friend? Shendu's friend? Don't make me laugh." 

The girl raised a brow, but did not say anything. Finn, Chow and Ratso just stared in complete confusion, trying to understand something of the conversation. 

"Uh... but you're a demon, right?" Finn confirmed and she snapped in annoyance, and held Julia's shoulders. 

"Listen, I want to make a deal with you, all right?" she said impatiently. 

"Deal? What sort of deal?" 

"I have been watching the city, and I found out that there is a chi wizard living in a small shop near here. He has a book that I need, but I cannot enter the shop. I want you to go there and bring me that book." 

"Me? Why should I do that for you?" 

"You can not control the power of the jewel, can you?" 

The white-haired girl was in silence. 

"I see. You can not. But I can teach you." 

"Really?" Julia asked in suspicion. "And... why do you want that book?" 

The woman smiled. "Revenge." 

-=-=-=-=-=-

"No, please! Please, don't kill me!" the helpless teenager begged and screamed when the brown-haired man grabbed her. He squeezed her neck and twisted it. Her neck immediately broke and the man looked at his blond companion, who stepped closer. 

"Where is Shendu?" he asked. 

"Dai Gui does not know," the first man replied. 

"I am here," Shendu in his human form said, approaching them in the dark alley. The duo frowned, looking him up and down. 

"You idiot, look at yourself! Your clothes are covered in blood!" Dai Gui snapped. 

"It wasn't my fault! It was a difficult prey!" the dragon defended and flinched when felt. He looked at the sky and his two siblings blinked. 

"What is it?" they asked, but the fire demon did not answer. Instead, he nimbly jumped to the roof of the building at his right side. There, he observed the city and narrowed his eyes. 

Something was wrong... 

-=-=-=-=-=-

It was almost five o'clock when Jade woke up. Maybe she had been just tired after all, since she felt really fine now. She went downstairs humming cheerfully and saw Uncle seated in front of his table, tiredly reading an old book. 

"Hey, Uncle," she said and only then he noticed her presence. 

"Jade!" he said a bit surprised and even worried. "Are you all right?" 

"Yeah, I think I was just tired," she answered shrugging and leaned on the table. "So, have you already found a way to make me an adult again?" 

Uncle turned to continue reading the book. "No. Can't find the right spell anywhere." 

Jade moaned in frustration and headed to the kitchen. Vinicius was there, having a snack. 

"Hi, Jade," he said. 

"Vinicius? What are you doing here?" 

"Ask you to go with me," he answered simply. 

"Where to?" she asked raising a brow. 

"To the dance. I thought you needed some fun to forget all the trouble you have been going through." 

"A dance?" she asked in suspicion. "Like a date?" 

"No, no, no, it's not supposed to be an exclusively romantic party. You'll meet some friends of mine, eat junk food, swim in the pool..." 

"Hmm, okay then. I think..." she said still a bit unsure. 

"Then hurry, get dressed and let's go! It's about to start!" 

"Huh?" 

-=-=-=-=-=-

In the centre of the living room, Tso Lan was preparing a spell in a bowl with a glowing bluish liquid. He, Bai Tsa, Po Kong, Hsi Wu, Xiao Fung and Valmont were around it, waiting to see what would be the result. 

"I have found Chan's son," the moon demon announced and everybody looked even more carefully at the bowl. The image of Jack Chan appeared, and it also showed that he was in a sort of party. "We have to go to the north," Tso Lan added and Bai Tsa frowned. 

"What's that place where he is?" 

"I think it's a school. Most likely the same school that Julia attended," Valmont said. 

"Then you take them there," Tso said. 

"But we don't know what ingredients you need. Only you do," Hsi Wu pointed out and Po Kong smiled amused. 

"Then you have to go with them Tso Lan," she said and Tso Lan just glared at her. 

"I will go with you," a familiar voice said from the door and they turned to see the three missing brothers. 

"You, Shendu?" Xiao Fung asked as surprised as the others. Tchang Zu frowned in suspicion, but remained in silence. 

The dragon nodded. "I feel that I have to go. Something important is going to happen." 

**To be continued...**


	24. The Dance

Wow, I never got so many reviews for one chapter! You reviewers are wonderful! I'm sorry for the over-late update. I've been writing a lot of fics, but I didn't finish any of them. I hope you like this chapter. It's a bit short, and I think the next one is more interesting, but... I promise I'll try to update sooner. 

Thank you very, very much for the reviews! Words can't express how happy I am! 

**Regrem Erutaerc** – Of course, I never abandon my fics (well, almost never). Oh, and I'll be on Yahoo this weekend! 

**VampireNaomi** – Ah, you got it, except for one thing. But I don't despise this story, only its beginning. That's one of the reasons why I'm rewriting it. Now, I wonder... If I write more about Alice, won't you find her an annoying OC? 

**Forgotten Love** – Don't worry, we'll have some battles very, very soon. The Portuguese version has it. About that movie you mentioned... I'm not sure if it's the one I think it is. Do the characters jump and fly a lot and are there amazing fights? Anyway, thank you very much! I wish you were still writing JCA fics... 

**Zero-Nightmare** – Thanks! 

**Queen Jade** – If you like fights, I think you'll like the fight that is coming soon. 

**Hellblaze** – Hehe, I suppose you got it right too. Oh, I should read and review your sequel now that I'm free. 

**kke** – No, it's me who thanks you for reading and reviewing. n.n 

**Lindsay** – No, I'm not a Martian (I'm not green). I've been to Vegeta-sei, though. It's been destroyed, but it was a cool place. 

**Nash the Blade** – Uh... wrong? I don't intend to let this fic unfinished. I hate it when authors don't finish their fics. 

**Dragolover1** – Thank you for reviewing. I hope you finish reading this story soon. I'll read yours as well. 

------

**Chapter 24: The Dance**

It was new moon night, the sky was relatively clear and the air almost cold. The only one who really appreciated those conditions was Hsi Wu, although he did not dare to comment about that. Tonight, they would have to get the ingredients that were missing so that they could get back to their normal age. 

The group of children stopped in front of the school's entrance and Bai Tsa turned around to look at Valmont, Shendu, Hsi Wu and Xiao Fung. 

"Please..." she started with a tone of who was actually giving an order. "... just don't ruin everything. Do exactly as planned," she said and Shendu snorted, crossing his arms. 

"Bai Tsa, it's just a stupid party with a lot of stupid human children. What could go wrong?" he asked. The dragon was in a human form as well and, unlike most of the group, he had not come to get the proper ingredients. In fact, he even hoped that everything went wrong and the water demon got stuck in that child form forever. 

Bai Tsa frowned angry. "One of those stupid human children happens to be a Chan. And according to my slave, perhaps that traitor is there too. We have to be very cautious," she replied. 

Shendu looked at her as if she had said something absurd. "She is not a traitor!" 

"How can you be so sure?" 

"Bai Tsa. Shendu," Tso Lan scolded and the two demons were quiet, but still exchanged dangerous glares before going ahead and joining the party. 

Tso Lan leaded them, and carefully observed his surroundings. Everything was different from what he had seen in the ancient times, and although he did not show it, he was rather curious to learn something new about this age. And a place where there was not any chi wizard to threaten them was a positive factor. 

He nodded to himself, pleased, and turned around to face the others. 

"We don't need to be together. We shall meet later. And Bai Tsa..." 

"Yes?" 

"Your hair still is blue. Change it before someone sees it." The moon demon left with no more words and headed to inside the school. Bai Tsa changed her hair colour into black and at the following moment she was surprised by an almost hysterical voice. 

"Wow! That's so cool!" 

The group turned to the voice's owner, who was right beside them. It was a normal little girl with red hair tied in two irregular ponytails. It was not possible to recognise her eyes colour, since she was wearing glasses with pink lenses. The girl was looking amazed at Bai Tsa, as if she had just seen a magic trick. 

"How did you do that?" she asked and Bai Tsa blinked in confusion before understanding. She then glanced at the rest of the group expecting someone to give a plausible answer. Valmont, seeing that no one would say anything, crossed his arms behind himself and took a step forward. 

"That what?" he asked cynically. 

"Eh? But I just saw her changing her hair colour!" the girl responded and turned to Bai Tsa again. "How did you do it? Is that some sort of special dye?" she asked, pulling the demon's hair. 

Bai Tsa shoved her. "Do not touch me, mortal!" she demanded with her true voice and the girl stepped back a bit scared. 

"Oh, she's on a bad mood today. But her hair colour didn't change, you know. It was just a... hmm... reflection," he explained. When the girl did not seem to believe, he added, "And your glasses probably confused you." 

She blinked and smiled again. "Do you want to play with me?" she asked eagerly and everyone stared at her. Shendu rolled his eyes, gathering patience. Bai Tsa turned to the wind demon and approached him. 

"Xiao Fung, this girl won't leave us alone anymore... You have to distract her," she whispered through clenched teeth and he nodded, smiling friendly. 

"Party!" he shouted raising his arms and – sort of accidentally – raising his sister's skirt as well. She screamed and managed to lower it before someone saw her while Xiao ran away along with the red-haired girl. Bai Tsa was literally red, both enraged and embarrassed. Valmont looked away to prove he had nothing to do with it but Shendu and Hsi Wu could not help chuckling. 

Bai Tsa really felt like tearing Xiao Fung's throat, but since that would attract everyone's attention, she decided to control herself. She then turned to the other two demons. 

"What are you laughing at? Get away already, don't be in my way!" she ordered her brothers, who began to move away still suppressing a fit of laughter. 

"As you wish, sister dearest," Shendu said in a sarcastic tone and Bai ignored them. She looked at the human beside her; he was the only one who had not laughed at all. It seemed that he was used to control his feelings and keep a cool façade when it was necessary. 

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and took few steps forward. 

"Well... Then I'm going too..." he said, but she grabbed him tightly by his wrist, which made him yelp. 

"Oh, no, you don't. You belong to me and you cannot go anywhere without my permission or company," she stated and began to drag him through the crowd of children. 

"How many times do I have to say I don't belong to anyone?" he muttered, trying hard to break free. 

"Quiet!" she hissed, squeezing his wrist even more. "Now, let's see how fun the parties can be nowadays." 

------

Shendu was glancing around every second, as if something were about to attack him at any moment. Hsi Wu frowned in concern. 

"What is it, Shendu?" he asked. 

"I'm not sure," the fire demon replied and Hsi raised a brow. 

"What do you mean? Be clearer with your answers, can you?" 

"I told you I don't know!" the dragon snapped. "It's just a strange feeling. It seems that someone is watching us." 

Hsi Wu sighed. "Look, I know you are a bit nervous since that dark chi explosion in that fish cannery, but if nothing happened so far it is because nothing will happen." 

Shendu did not reply, and now he seemed to be concentrated on a single point at his right side. 

"We don't need to be together all the time either. Try to find out something by yourself for a change, I didn't even come here to help you," he said and began to walk towards the direction he was staring at. Hsi Wu took a deep breath and crossed his arms, glancing around in boredom. What could he do now? He was alone in a party for children... and not even Jade was here. 

------

"I'm back," Jack said as he approached Alice and offered her some soda. They were in the party as well, and she had been seated in a bench waiting for him to say something. 

"Thanks," she said, smiling nervously, and he sat beside her. 

"It's good to have some fun after all those weird things that have been happening. My life even seems to be completely normal again," Jack commented and Alice nodded. 

There was a long moment of silence. Both of them wanted to say something, but they barely could look at each other in the eyes. Jack would give anything if he could just stop being so stupid and say something, anything! 

_C'mon, Jack! You can do it!_ he thought to himself. 

"Um... erh... hmm... The moon is so beautiful tonight, isn't it?" he commented and paled, his eyes twitching. Was that the best he could come up with? And it was new moon night, there was no moon! 

Alice looked up at the sky to see the moon. She frowned for one second and looked at him. 

"What-" 

"I mean..." he interrupted, blushing furiously. "That the moon is beautiful... no matter where it is... j-just like y-you..." 

He gulped, not daring to raise his glance from his feet. 

"I think you're... c-cute... too..." she replied equally nervous and he glanced at her as quickly as possible. All he could see was that she was blushing as well, and she indeed looked cute with that sweet expression. 

------

Jack and Alice had no idea that someone was watching them; Julia was hiding behind a corner, was trying to hear their conversation, but it was impossible since some boys were playing some heavy rock. She glared at them and looked around to find a quieter place. 

"I didn't expect to find you here," a voice said behind her and she quickly turned around. It was a blond boy with green eyes who was a bit taller than her. Julia looked at him up and down and frowned. 

"I think you're confusing me with someone else," she stated coldly and pushed past him. 

"No, I am not, Julia," he replied and she turned to face him again, trying to hide her surprise. Someone in this school actually remembered her? "Aren't you recognising me?" he asked and she was about to say 'no', but she did not want to admit that she could not remember someone who remembered her. 

She shrugged and forced a smile. "Yes, of course." 

"What are you doing here?" he questioned and she thought for a while before answering. 

"I have to... _help_ someone... and get my home back," she said, carefully choosing the right words so that she would not reveal the whole truth. As she expected, he did not seem to have understood, but he did not ask anymore. "W-What about you? What are _you_ doing here?" 

"I felt something important is going to happen. I had the feeling that I was going to meet someone." 

Julia blushed. "Meet someone? You mean me?" 

He stared at her, pondering for a moment. "Perhaps..." 

She blushed even more, smiling nervously. Now when she paid attention to his, this boy was kind of cute. 

"So... you came here for me? I had no idea that someone would fall for me this early, especially an older boy..." 

The boy stared at her as if she were insane. "What?! What are you talking about?" 

"Come with me. Maybe you can even help me later," she said, gesturing at him to follow her. Still not understanding anything at all, he followed her a bit hesitantly. 

------

Jade sighed and sat on a chair. In any other circumstance, she could have enjoyed this party, but she really did not feel like having fun right now. Especially in this child form; her dream had always been growing up, and when she was finally an adult, someone turned her into a child! Soon, Jackie would begin to boss around her as if she were seven years old again. 

Another reason that spoiled the fun in this party was that she felt sick. That had been happening for quite a while and at first she thought she was just tired, but maybe she really was sick. 

"Jade," Vinicius' voice woke her from her thoughts and she raised her gaze. "Come, I want to introduce you to my friends!" he said, pulling her by her hand and leading her to a group of children. "Hey, guys! This is Jade!" 

The three children – one girl and two boys – looked at her up and down. 

"She doesn't look so special to me," the girl commented quite arrogantly, which made Jade frown. 

"Yeah, and you sure is very special," she remarked sarcastically. The girl just snorted and crossed her arms. 

"Jade, these are my friends Carol, Jimmy and Gary," Vinicius gestured at the children as he said their names. The two boys seemed to be very interested in Jade. 

"Is it true that you often fight the forced of darkness?" Jimmy asked eagerly and Jade looked surprised at him. 

"Uh? Who told you that?" 

"Vinicius did." 

"So, is it true? Do you know karate?" Gary asked and Jade smiled self-confidently. 

"Actually, I know Kunf Fu. And yes, I often fight against the forces of darkness." 

The three boys were amazed, while the girl rolled her eyes. Jade never thought that a stranger would believe her about that. During all her childhood she wanted to be admired and respected by her classmates, but they never believed in those stories. 

"Have you risked your life many times?" Jimmy inquired. 

"Of course, countless times! But that's normal when you want to save the world." 

"Aren't you afraid to die?" 

"No, on the contrary. I prefer one thousand times to have a life full of excitement than living like an ordinary girl like some and others," Jade answered, discreetly nodding at the girl of the group. She, however, noticed that and narrowed her eyes. 

"Wow!" "So cool!" 

"Oh, come on!" Carol finally interrupted and everyone, except Jade, stared at her in surprise. "It's so obvious that she's lying! How can you be so naïve? Fight the forced of darkness... Hah! Nonsense. And what's with that Kung Fu, then? You're too young, you mustn't have learned even the basics of martial arts." 

Jade felt her blood boiling. "I'll prove you it's true-" she snapped but stopped when she heard a scream and looked at her left to see that two children accidentally bumped into a man with a tray during their game and he lost his balance, accidentally throwing the tray. Everybody expected that the tray and the glasses on it would drop and break, but they were surprised when Jade nimbly leaped and grabbed four glasses in the air, and then hurried to put them on the nearest table. She then grabbed the tray, which had been almost reaching the ground, and used it to get the rest of the glasses. 

Although the liquid in the glasses had spilled, her performance impressed everyone, even the adults. Jade felt like Jackie Chan himself after her feat and smirked at the girl who had just mocked her. 

The crown applauded and Jade, pleased with herself, walked back to her group. Carol was open-mouthed and the boys were even more excited. 

"Wow... Where did you learn to do that?" Carol asked in awe. 

"You know, people like me just are born with that talent. I am Jade Chan, after all. What did you expect?" Jade said proudly. 

The two boys turned to Captain Black's son. "Vinicius, you're so lucky, man!" "Yeah, your girlfriend is great!" 

Jade's smile immediately faded and she widened her eyes. "Girlfriend? Hey, what do you mean?" 

"I told you, didn't I?" Vinicius replied them, ignoring Jade's question and holding her hand. "Come on, Jade. Let's dance." 

"But... Wait!" 

And the duo headed to the dance floor inside the school. However, nobody noted a boy following them with a suspicious look. He had been watching Jade and heard the conversation she had been having with the group, and now he did not seemed to be very pleased. 

"_Girlfriend_...?!" he hissed angry and his eyes glowed red. 

------

Bai Tsa suddenly stopped and glanced around. She could not find Chan's son anywhere. If she did not find him any soon, she could be stuck in this child form forever. She took a deep breath and looked impatiently at Valmont. 

"Listen, be useful for a change and bring me something to drink," she ordered and noted hoe he clenched his fists. 

"I don't-" 

"Go!" she interrupted making her eyes glow red dangerously. "Now! And if you try to run away, you'll be doomed!" she threatened. He swallowed hard and headed to one of tables with food and drinks. "Well done," she said pleased and watched a band of boys a bit older than most of the children in this party. 

They were playing some strange instruments, but she could not understand how they managed to make the sound louder than it was supposed to be. She focused on two of the instruments; one of them was multicoloured and had strings in one of the sides, the other was a sort of black board on a fine table. They both looked familiar and yet, somehow, completely different from anything she had seen. 

"Here it is," a sharp voice called her attention and Bai turned to see Valmont offering her a plastic cup – obviously against his will. She took the cup without saying anything and sipped the liquid in it. She grimaced as if she had drunk something really horrible and glared at Valmont. 

"What are you trying to do, poison me? What's this?!" she asked pointing at the brownish liquid in the cup and Valmont shrank a bit. 

"Soda," he answered shortly and she squeezed the cup. 

"Soda?! I want a real drink! Don't you have _sake_ or wine?" 

He shrugged. "This is a party for children. There's no alcoholic drink here." 

She narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then, she threw the cup away and tried to see what was on the table. 

"Then... bring me one of those sandwiches that are right over there. And one for yourself as well," she ordered and he sighed heavily, closing his eyes to keep his patience, before obeying her. She turned to watch the band again. She could not believe that the humans nowadays dared to call that music. In the ancient times, music was calm, beautiful, relaxing. Now, that was just a meaningless, bizarre and annoying noise. 

She followed the origin of the sounds and was surprised to see that they were not coming from the instruments themselves, but from huge black boxes. The young men who were playing did not even noticed when she approached and examined the boxes. 

"What's that...?" she wondered as she noted some buttons in the boxes. One of them looked like a round doorknob. She curiously turned it a bit, but it did not make any difference. She turned it all at once, then. There was an unpleasant whistle that filled the whole room and the noise turned into a deafening rumble. That was the last thing she remembered before the huge black boxes literally exploded. 

Everyone was lying on the floor. Most of the people had got scared by the sudden explosion and had tried to protect themselves. Bai Tsa, who had been right in front of the box at the moment of the explosion, was almost black, her eyes widened and her hair standing on end. The boys of the band were not any different. 

"What... What have you done...?!" Valmont asked slowing approaching her, while observing in horror the destruction scenery of the stage. Bai shrugged. 

"At least they stopped that annoying noise." 

------

Tso Lan was walking in his true form completely unworried in the desert corridors of the school. It would not take long until they started their plan, but he still could find something interesting to do. In his opinion, that was reading. He was curious to see how much the human mind had supposedly evolved. When he had been freed by Shendu seven years ago, he could see that the magic was replaced by the technology. 

With the help of the technology, humans could go to the moon. That really bothered him, but at the same time he was impressed with the human beings' capacity. He was not as blindly proud as his siblings to insist that the human race was completely stupid and useless. Perhaps he could even learn a way to help them take the world by reading some books. 

Besides, there was another matter that bothered him even more. Tchang Zu and Po Kong had realised it as well. They could not forget about that mysterious explosion of dark chi. Even Shendu had been behaving strangely; he was quieter and more cautious. Tso Lan knew the reason. After all, the Hsi Sheng Ritual was very dangerous, humans should never dare to even think of doing it. 

Fools. 

He finally found the library. He chose some books and sat down to read them. The first book had the title 'The History of Technology'. While reading it, he heard a man singing out of tune and coming to the library. Tso Lan raised a brow. 

The middle-aged man opened the door. Apparently, he could not keep his balance for longer than three seconds without leaning on a wall. His face was all red and he was holding a bottle of beer in one hand and a key in the other. 

"Oh, there you are, Mrs Heartman!" He sobbed. "You forgot the keys!" He threw the key – Tso Lan assumed he was supposed to get it, but the keys ended up on the other side of the library. "And don't forget your make-up!" the man shouted before stumbling out the library and laughing aloud. Tso Lan ignored him and kept reading the book. 

------

"What's that? A boy in the girl's restroom?" a girl whispered to her friend while they stared at Valmont. Bai Tsa was beside him, washing her hair that was a mess thanks to the explosion of the overloaded loudspeakers. 

She knew that boys were not supposed to enter here, but she did not want to let him outside. He could easily run away, and she wanted no risks. Not that he was really important, but the water demon never gave up her belongings. 

"Come on... please..." Valmont muttered, embarrassed because of the giggling girls who whispered something to each other once in a while. Bai snorted. 

"Quiet, I can take the while I want," she said and then they heard a new song playing. For Bai Tsa's relieve, it was no longer that heavy rock, but a very calm song coming from a different room this time. 

That song was exactly the way she liked; calm and even romantic. That reminded her of old times, when people organised celebrations in Rome, with wine and dances. Unlike many demons, she did not hesitate to take part of human parties. She always had fun in her own way. 

"Come on, I want to see how you dance nowadays." 

------

Julia took Shendu to the terrace and ran to its edge to see something in the playground. The fire demon, who was still disguised as a boy, followed her and tried to guess what she was observing. 

Although there were many children down there, he still could find out that she was watching Chan's son. He frowned and looked at Julia, who looked like she was trying to solve an enigma. 

"Do you see that boy over there?" she asked, pointing at Jack. "Jack Chan. Do you know him?" 

"Yes," Shendu responded in slight confusion. 

"I'm trying to think of a way to make him call his relatives here. But..." she hesitated. "Someone told me I had to find a book that would help me, and that book is the antiques shop where he lives. She didn't explain how it would help me, though." 

Shendu held his breath for a moment. She could not be talking about... 

"I know I shouldn't trust her," Julia continued, immediately getting Shendu's attention. "But I'll do anything to reach my purpose. That's why I helped Shendu." 

The fire demon stared. He did not understand what she meant, but it seemed that Julia had been hiding something from all of them. And why was she telling him all that, anyway? Didn't she know that he was Shendu himself? 

She suddenly looked like she had remembered something and smiled a bit embarrassed. "Hehe, sorry. I bet you're wondering what I'm talking about." 

"Indeed." 

"Never mind," she said, shaking her head in amusement. "You wouldn't believe me, anyway." 

A new, more romantic dance began to play and many children went in the school in pairs, including Jack and Alice. Shendu did not even notice it; he was too intrigued about Julia's unexpected words. He was about to ask something when she spoke first. 

"I'm bored," she remarked, stretching her arms and then grabbing his right hand. "Oh, I know! Let's dance!" she said, dragging him to the stairs. Shendu tried to stop her, but she was surprisingly stronger than him. It was probably because of the jewel. 

_That cursed jewel..._ he thought, his eyes glowing red in rage. 

------

"Seriously, Vinicius! I want to know why you've been telling everyone I'm your girlfriend! You told me this wasn't a romantic dance and that I'd come just so that you wouldn't be alone!" Jade said angry and they stopped dancing when the rock song was over; 

"Well, you see, nowadays it's very common for children my age to have a boyfriend or girlfriend. I didn't want my friends to mock me, so I told them I had a girlfriend called Jade. It's nothing personal, I chose your name at random," Vinicius answered. 

"What? And why did it have to be my name?!" 

"Ah, it was the first I thought of." A romantic dance began to play and the lights of the room turned from yellow into red. "Now I have to prove that you're my girlfriend," he said, wrapping one of his hands around her waist and holding one of her hands with the other. Jade sighed heavily but decided to dance with him. 

"Yeah, I just hope you still remember we're only friends and don't try to kiss me," she muttered. 

"Of course I wouldn't do that. Unless we play some games like that one with the apple or-" 

"Gosh, you're not even ten years old! How can you do those things?" 

Vinicius laughed. "You'd be surprised with things that the boys of my classroom do at times." 

"I think I don't want to know..." 

_Now I understand what Jackie meant when he said that these children are getting more and more precocious_, she thought and rolled her eyes. 

Suddenly, she felt nauseous again. She had no idea why this has been happening once in a while. At first, she had thought she was just tired, but it was getting worse each time. Perhaps she was ill? 

"Ow... Vinicius... Let's stop for a second, okay? I'm not feeling very well..." 

"Oh, again? Right... erh..." He looked around and pointed at the chairs next to the wall. "Sit down and rest. I'll bring you some water." 

She nodded and he rushed through the dancing crowd. Jade slowly walked towards the chais, but someone grabbed her arm and made her turn around. 

"Hello, Jade," a boy greeted with a sarcastic tone and before she could even see his face, he forced her to go back to the crowd and dance with him. "Did you miss me?" 

She finally raised her look to see him and did not recognise him at first. 

"Uh... Do I know you?" 

"What? Are you so happy with your new boyfriend that already forgot me?" 

The Chinese girl frowned and gasped when soon realised. His hair colour was different, but she knew that look very well. 

"Hsi Wu!" 

**To be continued...**


	25. A New Enemy

**A/N:** So, what do you think? I promised battle scenes, so here they are. I just wish this chapter was not so bad. I am so ashamed of it... Maybe you won't agree with me, and maybe I just feel this way because my English seems exceptionally bad here, after weeks without translating anything.

Despite that, you reviewers always make me feel so much better! Thank you very much to all of you!

**VampireNaomi** – My, I'm so honoured. The Valmont/Bai Tsa parts are my favourite ones to write, it's just the best OTP ever-goes fangirl- I'm sorry for taking so long to update this chapter. If it makes you feel better, the next chapter will probably be up _much_ sooner.

**Dragolover1** – Thanks, and the answer is yes. I think everyone has figured that out by now.

**Hellblaze** – Oh, don't worry, you'll get some of that in the future.

**Story Weaver1** – Even though my English is way far from perfect, I really don't think that English is the hardest to learn (funny, you're not the first person who tells me that). And if you think that Spanish is difficult, you should see what a nightmare Portuguese, French and some Eastern European languages can be. Gee, I suck at Spanish too, although it's so similar to my mother language...

**MasterBrattan** – Maybe, but I don't think that would be enough to convince him. ;)

**JC** – Okay, here you go. Hope you like it.

**Big Pimpin Mack Mamma** and **Lindsay** – Thanks!

* * *

**–CHAPTER 25–  
_A New Enemy_**

"Jade, did you really think I would let you alone for too long? I told you I would come back," Hsi Wu said while forcing her to dance with him.

"Tch. Yeah, the great sky demon sneaked in a party for children just to dance with me, really?" she questioned sarcastically.

"Don't change the subject," he hissed, angry. "Don't think you have got rid of me. I will always keep an eye on you."

Jade frowned a bit, slightly confused. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play the innocent, you know what I mean."

"No, I don't!"

Following the rhythm of the music, Hsi Wu abruptly puller her closer, causing her to hit her chest against his. She raised her head to face him in annoyance.

"Hey, what's your problem!"

The sky demon smiled and shortened the distance between their faces so that he could whisper in her ear.

"Listen, there is a reason for me to have come here. My brother Tso knows how to turn us back to normal, but for that, he needs the right ingredients."

Jade widened her eyes. "Are you serious?"

"I want you to take me to your uncle's shop and let me get the ingredients. Do not worry, you will turn back to an adult as well."

After a brief hesitation, the Chinese girl nodded. It was not really such a good idea to take a demon to Uncle's shop, but she could not stand being a child anymore. Besides, she could trust Hsi Wu, right?

"All right... But your siblings can't come with us," she said.

"Not even Tso Lan? Only he knows which ingredients are necessary."

"Oh, okay. Only Tso Lan."

She sighed and he smiled, pleased.

"Come, let's call him." He held her hand and dragged her out of the dance floor, taking her to the other side of the school.

-

This music, these flickering lights, these people dancing... During the time in the Netherworld, Bai Tsa had even thought she would never again have any fun besides tormenting Hsi Wu and Shendu, and had to admit that a party in the modern world could be quite enjoyable.

This rhythm reminded her of the celebrations in Rome. Some had been a tribute to her, but she had sometimes disguised herself as a human to enjoy the other parties with the mortals. Of course they were much better than a party for children, but it was still great to be back in this world.

And now, after so long, she was dancing. She still remembered who she had danced with the last time before being banished. It had been a man from South America who she had met when paying a visit to Xiao Fung. He had tanned skin, straight, black hair, which reached his shoulders, and deep black eyes. She remembered quite well that after that party, she had had another sort of fun with him, and then killed him. She could not remember why she had done that or his name, though; she usually did not pay attention to those superfluous details. It was such an ordinary thing...

"Ow!" A yelp interrupted her memories and she faced her partner, who was holding his right foot while jumping on his left one.

"What now?" she asked, impatient.

"You stepped on my foot!" Valmont complained.

"Well, what did you expect? I am not used to legs. Besides, the songs from the ancient times were easier to dance," she snapped, crossing her arms.

"But it hurt! Even that small, you are just as violent as before!" he threw back, crossing his arms as well.

"Violent? Me? You don't know what is being violent! Unlike my actually violent siblings, I always try to make my slaves last as long as possible! Is that how you thank me for having taken care of you when you were injured?"

"That was your fault, you moron!" He shoved her, not able to contain his anger anymore, and the water demon lost her balance, taking two steps backward before falling onto the floor. In the meantime, some children stopped dancing to stare at them in surprise.

The mermaid was initially surprised by the human's attitude, and then really angry.

"You... You... How _dare_ you?" she asked, trembling in rage.

Valmont then seemed to have realised what he had just done. He gulped and took a step back while she stood up furiously, her eyes glowing red. He swiftly turned around and ran to the nearest door – through which he would leave the school.

"I'll kill you!" she yelled, running right after him.

"Dude, run!" a boy in the crowd shouted, encouraging.

-

"Did you hear that?" the blond boy asked and Julia shook her head, smiling.

"Let it be, it mustn't be anything important," she replied.

He was reluctantly dancing with her on the dance floor. He had tried to escape sometimes, but the girl was just too strong, and seemed not to notice how uncomfortable he was.

_Cursed, cursed jewel_, he mentally swore for the thousandth time.

How had that happened to him? How could a mere human child have made the almighty fire demon humiliate himself like this? Just thinking about it made Shendu want to pulverise her. However, for some estrange reason, he could not move away from her. Of course, the powers of the jewel were growing stronger and probably getting out of control – and perhaps that was also affecting the girl's already dubious sanity –, but even when she had let go of him for a few seconds and he had had the opportunity to escape, he had not done that. It felt like there was a major external force making him stay. It was horrible.

He frowned. He had already felt like that in the past, and it had not been a nice experience at all. And that event had a straight connection to his most recent fears.

He did not want her to return. Not now, not at such an important moment. He could not let her ruin his life again, especially when he did not have his talismans. Right now, he was weaker than her. If she returned, he would most certainly have some serious problems.

"You dance quite well," Julia commented, making Shendu startle. He stared her and blinked, not very sure if he had heard it right. He actually felt like he had just woken up from a trance.

"Uh... Oh, yes, my sister sometimes wanted to practice and I was the only one remaining to be her partner," he answered, slightly stunned, and then his face darkened as he remembered those days with more details. "She always stepped on my foot..." he added under his breath bitterly.

"I was never too fond of dancing either, but my father thought it would be important to my social life or something," she remarked, looking bored again. Shendu wondered why he was talking about that with her, but felt a bit dizzy for a brief moment and had to concentrate in order to stay awaken.

"You really hate your father, don't you?" The words automatically came out of his mouth, and he noticed it only when the sentence was finished. What the hell was happening to him?

"Oh, well, I don't know, it's just that he's so stupid sometimes. He just cares about money. I once asked for a DNA test, to know if I'm really his daughter, but he refused, saying that was too expensive and useless," she went on, flinching for a second. Seemingly, Julia was a bit dizzy as well.

Shendu relaxed and closed his eyes. "All humans only care about money. That makes them so easy to manipulate." He opened his eyes, staring at nothing, and smirked. "And that is what shall take them to their self-destruction," he stated, pleased.

"You're right, and I hope it doesn't take too long," Julia agreed and Shendu realised something. The girl was different; it was not only her appearance, but she was talking in an odd way, her gaze was slightly unfocused, her voice had something that was remotely similar to a demoniac echo, and her own essence seemed to be slowly disappearing.

"What's wrong with you?" he enquired seriously.

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused. However, before he could say anything, he sensed a familiar chi and quickly turned towards the direction where it was coming from.

"That chi..." he muttered so quietly that she could not even hear him. With no more words, he ran away. Julia stood there for a while, staring at him going away, and then decided to follow him.

Xiao Fung came from the corridor with his companion and saw the duo leaving. He blinked twice and turned to look at the girl.

"I'd better go now."

"Aww, so early?" she whined, disappointed.

"You are a fun human. I hope we meet again someday," he said, smiling pleased, and went after Shendu and his mortal.

-

Finn stood up from the sofa in Valmont's flat and walked towards the window. The place was all dark and had a heavy atmosphere, and after a whole day, that was beginning to make him nervous. He quietly opened the window and smiled feebly. The night in San Francisco was beautiful, why not enjoy it a little?

"Amazing view, isn't it?" a voice hissed in his right ear and he yelped, backing away to the left. The woman in front of him smirked and he gulped, forcing himself to smile back.

"So, how're you doing, uhn... Big... M?" he said nervously. She raised a brow, facing him coldly.

"We are leaving now. I hope you have understood what you must do from now on."

Finn glanced at the floor and when looked at the woman again, she was observing the city through the window with a calculating expression. She was a really weird woman; she had appeared all of a sudden and when she had looked at him in the eyes, he had felt very odd. His heart had beaten fast, though he had been relaxed. Suddenly, everything around him had seemed to disappear and only her figure had remained in his mind.

If he told that to someone, they would guess he was in love, but he knew it was not that. She must have used some sort of spell on him. Chow and Ratso had mentioned that they had felt the same way, but then the effect had just faded. Now he just got nervous around her.

Well, he was sure about one thing; she was a demon. He did not know what kind of demon she was or her element, but he knew what sort of creature they were dealing with when she spoke with a hissed voice, typical of demons, and her eyes glowed. They were not as red as Shendu's, but a bit lighter.

Her temper was not any different. She was like the female version of the fire demon, always insulting them, threatening them, and apparently on a perpetual bad mood.

And she also had a plan that really reminded him of Shendu.

-

It was good thing that the streets were deserted at this time in the night. Tso Lan refused to stay in his human form and if someone saw him, that could cause a scandal. Hsi Wu thought he therefore had the right to take his true form as well, which was not really a bad thing, since they would arrive at the shop much faster that way. Now he was silently flying over the streets in Chinatown and carrying Jade in his arms.

"It's here!" Jade announced pointing at the shop, although the two demons already knew very well where it was located. They landed in front of the door and Hsi Wu put Jade down.

"Now ask us to come in already!" he ordered.

"Hey, take it easy, little Mr Cranky. You can't go in yet, everyone is there. I have to make them leave the shop first," she calmly said.

"And how are you going to do that?" Tso Lan wanted to know. Jade smiled self-confidently and took her cell phone out of her pocket.

"Relax, everything is under control." She dialled a phone number and they all could hear the sound of a telephone ringing inside the shop. It did not take long until someone answered it, exactly when Jade began to speak. "Jackie, I know where the demons are! You guys gotta come here! I'm at my old school!"

There was a pause. Hsi Wu and Tso Lan glanced at each other, but made no comments.

"Yeah, I have no idea why they are here either, but you better hurry!" she continued, and then hung up, turning back to the demons. "C'mon, go hide!" she said, pushing them to the corner at right. Her uncles and Tohru hurriedly left the shop, carrying some ingredients.

She waited until they were at a safe distance and entered the shop to invite the two demons.

"Come on, take whatever is necessary and let's get this over with!"

Tso Lan calmly began to seek in the whole shop. Hsi Wu sighed and stamped his foot on the floor impatiently. He would not be very useful at the moment, now he could just hope that his older brother would find what they needed as soon as possible.

He looked back when he heard a groan and the sound of something breaking. His eyes widened as he saw Jade lying on the pieces of a Chinese vase that she had just knocked over by accident.

"Jade!" He ran to her side and comforted her on his arms. "What happened? Are you not feeling well again?"

"I-It's nothing... It'll pass soon," she murmured with difficulty, trying to smile but failing.

He narrowed his eyes and stood up, lifting her and taking her to the nearest chair. He glanced around looking for something softer, but the desk was the best option in the hall. He then helped her lie down on it, trying to make her feel as comfortable as possible.

"Are you in pain?" he wanted to know and the girl still tried to pretend she was not, but he noted how she was firmly holding her stomach. "Is it here where it hurts?" he asked, placing his hand on her arm to reach her abdomen.

"It doesn't actually hurt... it's weird... I'm... kind of sick."

Hsi Wu took a deep breath and glanced around again. He was not very good at taking care of people; he had absolutely no experience and had never really cared about it. Now, however, he wished more than ever he could know what to do.

He searched in his memories for something that some of his siblings had once done. He remembered Bai Tsa, Po Kong and Tso Lan. Those three had already been in similar situations, and the water demon used to say that the best thing to any living being was water.

With no second thought, he rushed to the kitchen to get some water. However, before taking a glass, he immediately stopped as he had an odd feeling. Someone was approaching, someone very familiar.

"No... No, it cannot be," he muttered.

"Hsi Wu. I have got some ingredients. We have to go," Tso Lan said from the door.

"But my slave is-"

"Now!" Tso demanded and his oldest brother flinched.

"A-All right..." Tso Lan had probably sensed it as well.

-

"Come back here, you! You cannot escape from me!" Bai Tsa shouted while still running after little Valmont. Running with human legs – and in a child form – was beginning to exhaust her, and just to make things worse, he was in good shape and could run really fast.

She stopped to catch her breath and decided it was time to take her true form, in which she was much faster. She also formed a water ball with her palm and threw it at the boy, who yelped and fell to the ground, not managing to get up on time to escape. She jumped on him and grabbed his collar.

"Did you really think you could escape that easily? Prepare to-" She stopped when she saw shadows moving on the ground towards the duo.

The mermaid let go of him and stood up, watching in awe as the shadows turned into ninjas with bluish skin and glowing red eyes.

Valmont got up just as perplexed and realised they were surrounded by the ninjas.

"They... are Shadowkhan?" he asked, but Bai Tsa did not respond. Instead, she just clenched her fists and approached him. "Are they with you?" Valmont tried again and she still did not reply, but was on guard.

"You can fight, can't you?" she confirmed, narrowing her eyes.

"I think so. Why? Are they really not with you?"

Before any other word, the ninjas charged at them. Bai Tsa defended herself with bursts of water, while Valmont noticed how difficult it was to fight in a child form.

-

On the way to the school, Uncle suddenly stopped, his eyes widened and showing confusion.

"What's the matter, sensei?" Tohru asked.

"Uncle has the willies! We must go back immediately!" the old man stated.

"But, Uncle, what about the demons?" Jackie reminded him.

"We take care of them later, now we have more important things to worry about!"

The group turned around and hurried back to the shop, leaded by Uncle. After a while, they went around a corner and bumped into a tall, pale and gloomy being.

"Aiyah! It's Tso Lan, the moon demon!" Uncle shouted, and Jackie and Tohru prepared to fight. They however noted that the sky demon was few steps behind his brother, holding Jade. Jackie drew a deep breath when he saw her almost unconscious, writhing in pain.

"What have you done to my niece!" he asked, fuming.

"She will be fine," Tso Lan assured coldly, raising a hand. "We have other concerns at the moment."

"Brother Tso, we must hurry! Or else it will be too late!" Hsi Wu said anxiously, and then Jackie, Uncle and Tohru realised that there were strange shadows furtively approaching the group. They took one or two steps back, and so did the demons, when they glanced around and noticed they were surrounded.

The shadows rose from the ground and took humanoid forms, which they all still remembered very well.

"Shadowkhan? That's impossible!" Jackie exclaimed, both surprised and confused. Uncle looked thoughtful while Tso Lan and Hsi Wu wore suspicious expressions.

"It is indeed impossible," Hsi Wu muttered, watching carefully each one of the ninjas.

"Of course it is! We defeated Tarakudo years ago! They cannot be Shadowkhan!" Jackie stated, indicating the ninjas around him.

"It is possible," the moon demon affirmed, making the others curious.

"Who is she?" Tohru suddenly asked, pointing at a woman wearing a light pink Chinese dress, with brown eyes and hair. Everyone turned to look at her, and Hsi Wu's eyes widened.

"You!"

"Well, well, well, look what we have here. Shendu's idiotic brothers," she said, smirking. Jade woke up, seeming to be feeling much better all of a sudden, and was also surprised to see this new woman, who was now floating some centimetres above the ground. She jumped from Hsi Wu's arms and faced her.

"Wow... Who is she?"

The woman smiled. "I am Mei Liang, the demon of the dreams," she answered proudly.

"Demon of the dreams? What does it mean?" Jade asked.

"It means that I can manipulate dreams and create illusions. In the ancient times, I needed time, concentration and proximity, but Shendu has made me so much stronger that now I can control them by just looking at them in the eyes."

"Control who?" Jade enquired, frowning a bit, and only then noticed that everyone else seemed to be hypnotised, as they were staring at nothing with unfocused gazes. "Hey, what're you doing? Hel-lo! Jackie? Hsi Wu?" She waved her hand in front of them, expecting some reaction. They did not move at all, though. "Why am I the only one who wasn't affected?" she wondered.

"Oh, that's right, there is that little detail. I can control only males. You, female human, shall have a quite different fate."

"What?" Jade clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes.

"Let's see how you make it against my Shadowkhan, two demons and your own family."

Everyone turned to the girl, who flinched and took a fighting pose, although she still felt rather weak. It was really unpleasant to be threatened by her relatives and friends, plus Shadowkhan that miraculously appeared even after Tarakudo's defeat. She was really in trouble now, weak and surrounded by demons, ninjas and her own family.

"Hsi Wu... Jackie... Uncle... Tohru... Please, don't do that..." she murmured, feeling tears of despair filling her eyes and trying to suppress them.

"Mei Liang!" a new voice shouted and Jade saw Julia coming, along with two boys who she had never seen before.

"Julia, no! Beware!" Jade warned, but was ignored. Julia stared at the scene both surprised and curious, while the two boys faced the demons of the dreams seriously.

"I knew you would come back. And it's all the cursed Chan clan's fault!" hissed one of the boys, a blond one, and Jade and Julia stared at him in astonishment.

"Huh?" they said in unison.

"Shendu?" Jade raised an eyebrow and the blond boy began to grow. His skin and his clothes were replaced for dirty yellow scales, his green eyes turned glowing red, and in few seconds everyone was before the fire demon is his true form. Xiao Fung transformed as well, although he was passive and clearly did not intend to get involved any time soon.

"Shendu? Was it you all this time!" Julia asked in disbelief and the dragon barely turned his head towards her, trying not to stop looking at the woman.

"You didn't know that?"

"No, how was I supposed to know that you could turn into a child on your own! Oh, and we even danced together... I can't believe it, how embarrassing!" she said, covering her face and blushing slightly. Jade did not even want to guess what had happened between them, right now she was just worried about the others who were under Mei Liang's spell.

The demon of the dreams laughed. "Shendu, Shendu, how decadent. Have you already sunk so low that now you have fun by just dancing with little girls?"

"Curse you! You will pay for what you have done!" Shendu roared, his voice filled with hatred, and Mei frowned.

"For what I have done? You didn't do any better. You sealed me in that despising, dark realm with no mercy, you coward. Now it is time for us to finish what we started a long time ago." She began to grow as well, her eyes turned red, her clothes were replaced for pale, slightly pink scales, and to the two girls' surprise, Mei Liang revealed to be a dragon.

"Wha? Oh, c'mon, give me a break!" Jade said, suppressing a laugh, and Julia shook her head.

"That's really weird. Ridiculous, I'd say," she agreed and Mei's eyes glowed furiously.

"Silence!" She breathed fire towards the two girls, and it was Xiao Fung who saved them by blowing the flames away. In the meantime, Shendu charged at her, and the two dragons started a violent battle of claws and flames.

"What the hell is going on! I'm not getting anything anymore!" Jade complained, irritated.

"Yeah, who is she, anyway?" Julia asked Xiao, who sighed in frustration.

"Perhaps I should explain that some other time," he replied, nodding at the dozens of Shadowkhan around them, plus Jackie, Uncle, Tohru, Tso Lan and Hsi Wu. Jade and Julia swallowed hard and prepared to fight.

"Hey," Jade said to Julia. "What if that Mei Liang hypnotises Mr Big Toad over here, too?" she asked, pointing at Xiao Fung.

"Nah, she won't do that right now, she's too busy fighting Shendu," the wind demon assured in a not so trustworthy tone.

The Shadowkhan finally took the chance to attack. Jade defended herself from all of them and was also surprised to see that Julia was not doing badly. Seemingly, the British girl did not know how to fight very well, but she was very agile and managed to dodge most of the blows. She rolled under the legs of one of them and ran to an alley near there, soon coming back with a long pipe. When the ninjas tried to attack her, she used it to counterattack.

"Wow, I didn't know you could do that!" Jade commented.

"Me neither. I've just tried my luck by imitating you and my parents," Julia answered.

Xiao Fung, on the other hand, could not do any better than blowing away his brothers and the Chan clan, and that was beginning not to work anymore.

"Blast it. If only Bai Tsa was here!" he snapped.

"Talking about me?" his sister's voice asked behind him and the wind demon turned to face her, smiling pleased.

"My sister, right on time," he said. The water demon looked a bit tired and was dragging her slave with her. Unlike her, Valmont was quite exhausted and breathless.

"I knew it. Mei Liang is back. Hopefully, those two will end up killing each other," Bai Tsa growled, watching the two dragons' fierce battle.

"Forget about them, wake up our brothers!" Xiao Fung shouted, pointing at Tso Lan and Hsi Wu.

"All right, all right, I'm coming," she sighed and began to hit with water everyone that was coming towards her. Some Shadowkhan backed away and the ones who were hypnotised slowly went back to normal. They looked around, blinking in confusion and trying to understand what was going on. As soon as they noticed Shendu and Mei Liang fighting each other, and once the ninjas were all defeated, everybody was concentrated on just watching them.

"Um... Is it just me or is she using heat-beam eyes now?" Jade asked carefully and frowning. Mei Liang then started to move much faster.

"She's using the power of the talismans! But how?" Jackie asked in disbelief and Xiao shook his head.

"It's a long story. But we are at a disadvantage. You have to bring the talismans right away."

Jackie and Tohru turned to look at Uncle, clearly not sure if they should obey a demon just like that and expecting the chi-wizard to make a decision. The old man nodded gloomily and glanced at his apprentice.

"Uncle will have to research. Tohru, you help me," he said.

"Uh, yes, sensei," Tohru answered, a bit confused.

"I'll get the talismans, then," Jackie said and they three left the scene.

"Really, I do hope they kill each other. If the Chans get killed with them, it will be even better. I don't have anything to do with it, so I am just out of here now," Bai Tsa stated coldly, turning around to go away and dragging Valmont with her, though he was quite reluctant.

"Wait, what about Julia?" he asked.

"Forget about her! You are coming with me!" the water demon snapped, pulling him by his wrist with more strength.

"Hsi Wu, let's go back to our hideout and revert the spell! And we must also tell the others there about this!" Tso Lan said in an urgent tone. Hsi Wu hardly opened his mouth to protest; he immediately held Jade again and, along with the moon demon, flew back to their hideout.

"Are they just going to leave Shendu alone here!" Julia asked, annoyed.

"Oh, don't worry about that. He will be fine," Xiao said coolly.

Shendu punched Mei Liang in the stomach, but she apparently felt nothing. Unlike the fire demon, she was not tired at all and had just a few scratches and cuts. She smiled and flew up, taking advantage of the fact that he did not have the talismans with him and could not do the same. After being hit by the powers of almost all the talismans, he was already getting tired, which indicated that their fight was near its end.

"You are quite tough, but let's just see how you react to my special technique," she said, wrapping her right fist with her left hand and putting it against her hip. Shendu backed away some steps. An orange-coloured energy was formed around her hands, indicating that it was ready to be thrown. Shendu knew that she had only one chance to hit him with it, but it was still too risky. He had to concentrate.

"This technique, Shendu, killed your first son, remember?" she provoked and attacked. The dragon managed to dodge it right on time and charged at her again. However, she looked at him deep in the eyes, affecting the fire demon with her powers, which caused him to hesitate and slowly decrease his speed. When he was almost reaching her, she backed away and made a movement with her hand to attract her energy attack back to him again.

Xiao Fung's eyes widened in surprise. "Hey, she could never do that!"

"Die!" she yelled and Shendu came around just on time to see a bright blast of energy quickly approaching. It hit him and destroyed some buildings that were on its way. He was knocked into a warehouse, which had its front side completely destroyed. Julia's eyes widened and for some seconds she looked frightened, while Xiao Fung was shocked.

"Oh, no. I hadn't expected that... It is worse than I thought," he muttered. Mei Liang laughed evilly and landed at a relatively short distance from the wind demon, which made him flinch and get on guard. He had to admit that he was not feeling very brave to fight, he had never been good at it, but he also had his demonic pride and would not give up so easily.

Mei paid him no attention, though. She just looked at Julia, and Xiao even thought that she would want to get rid of Shendu's alleged mortal.

"Let's go, those simpletons must have got what I want by now," she told Julia, who surprised Xiao Fung even more by smirking maliciously at the woman's words.

"Sure," the girl replied and slowly walked to her, ignoring Xiao completely. On her way, she shot a hesitant glance at where Shendu was, but recovered as soon as she was close to Mei Liang and then the duo disappeared with a puff of smoke.

The wind demon stared at where they had just been for a considerable while and shook his head hopelessly.

"I knew we couldn't trust her."

**To be continued...**


	26. After the Battle

**A/N:** Well, I promised I'd update much sooner, so here is chapter 26! The next one is already done as well, so I plan to update again very soon. Yep, I've been inspired. Perhaps you should be worried, because I write some nonsense at times, when I'm way too inspired.

**VampireNaomi** – Aww, thank you, your reviews always make me feel better and more self-confident. I should stop bashing myself, but it can't be helped. Anyway, remember that you asked me a while ago about some other demons around and I told you there would be only one (Mei Liang)? Well, I found my old notes about the development of this fic and there are _indeed_ more demons. I'm not sure if that's a good thing, but now it's too late to regret that idea.

**Hellblaze** – Ah, don't worry, he'll be fine. Shendu is tough.

* * *

**–CHAPTER 26–  
_After the Battle_**

At Uncle's dark shop, three figures moved not so carefully into the library.

"How does that book look like again?" Chow asked his friends.

"I don't know, just find it!" Finn snapped, narrowing his eyes to see the shelves filled with books before him.

"Didn't she say it has a red cover?" Ratso asked.

"Who cares about its colour? I can't even see the books with all this darkness," Finn replied, angry.

"How about we turn the light on?" Ratso fumbled with his hand on the wall, searching for the switch. However, Chow stopped him.

"No, they could find out we're here!" he explained.

"Well, let's at least turn a lampshade on or light a candle," Ratso insisted, walking to the table in the centre of the library. He smiled as he felt an object that seemed a lampshade and turned it on. Luckily, the light was dim enough so that no one outside could notice that there was someone in the library. The trio sighed, glad for being able to see again.

"C'mon, it must be here... somewhere," Finn said, hurrying to take the nearest book and quickly leafing through it. He soon realised that was not the book they were looking for and he placed it back, taking the next book. The other two followed his example, each one with a shelf.

After about fifteen minutes, Chow finally announced, "I found it!"

"Huh?" His companions turned to him in surprise.

"So soon?" Ratso asked.

"Are you sure that's the right one?" Finn said, sceptical. Chow lifted the book so that they could see its cover and smiled.

"It's this one all right. Look, its cover is red, and the texts seem to be just like she described," he assured.

"Well, then let's get out of here," Finn said, placing back the book he had been checking and leaving the library. Chow followed him and Ratso went right after them.

"Heheh, that was quite easy. Lucky us that there's nobody here in the shop," Ratso commented when they reached the door.

"Hmm, don't you guys think that's strange?" Chow asked, frowning a bit. Finn opened the door and turned to his friend.

"Ah, never mind that. The important thing is that- Waah!" They three startled when they saw a dragon floating before them.

"I see you have found the book. I hope that is the right one," Mei Liang said, making them open their eyes wide.

"M-Mei... Mei Liang?" Finn stuttered.

"Is that you? _That_ is your true form?" Chow asked in disbelief.

"The book!" the demon demanded, angry. Chow jumped and almost dropped the book.

"Oh, yes, yes, sure, here it is!" he babbled, raising the book to show it to her. Mei Liang observed it carefully for a moment.

"Right, that is the book," she stated and the three men sighed in relief.

"Then let's go already, I'm in a hurry!" said another voice next to them. Finn blinked in confusion, Chow was open-mouthed, and Ratso scratched his head as they saw who it was.

"Julia...?" Finn asked. The girl placed her hands on her hips and frowned in annoyance.

"What? Why are you staring at me like that?" she questioned.

"Uhn... You... grew up a little, didn't you?" Chow responded. The girl now seemed to be in the end of her teens.

Julia took a glance at herself and smiled when she looked at them again.

"Oh, it's just that Hun Yu jewel. Don't you think I look better now?"

Mei Liang smirked and before any of the humans could say anything else, she announced, "It is time to go."

"Oh... Yes, sir... I mean... ma'am," Finn said, nodding. The four humans turned to the same direction, but Mei Liang did not move.

"Where do you think you are going?" she enquired sharply and all of them stopped, looking at her in confusion.

"What do you mean? We're going to the Dark Hand Headquarters, of course," Finn answered.

"We are not going back there, we are going to Hong Kong."

The three men glanced at one another.

"Why Hong Kong?" Ratso wanted to know.

"We have to free my brothers," she answered importantly. Chow looked like he had just been informed that he would be executed at the sunrise and dropped the book again. Finn froze and paled. Julia was serious, but kept a neuter expression.

"Aww, man..." Ratso muttered. "Not again."

"M-More demons?" Finn asked with difficulty.

"Silence! Just do as you are told! You!" She pointed at the Irishman. "Get the book!"

He reluctantly obeyed her. The other two just sighed, discouraged.

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Tohru almost ran over Uncle when he stopped all of a sudden. The old man stared at nothing and frowned, concentrated.

"Is there anything wrong, sensei?" Tohru asked his master, who looked back.

"Everything has become calm... It seems that the battle is over," Uncle stated.

"Do you think Jade is all right?"

Before Uncle could answer – although he did not really know what to say –, the both of them turned around when they heard voices. A blue-haired girl was coming towards them, dragging with her a silver-haired boy.

"... and no one in our family has ever liked her," the girl calmly said, finishing her speech.

Uncle gasped. "It's Bai Tsa! Hurry, go hide!" he whispered, pulling his apprentice by his wrist to hide behind a van. Tohru was more careful to make sure that he would not be seen. Uncle narrowed his eyes and watched the water demon.

The girl suddenly stopped, making Uncle flinch. Had she sensed his presence?

She turned around and smirked. "It seems that their fight is over," she announced and Uncle sighed in relief before paying attention to what she was saying.

"Really? And who won?" Valmont wanted to know. Bai Tsa grinned evilly and pleased.

"Mei Liang. But that is obvious, since she possess the talisman powers while Shendu does not. I am just beginning to suspect that he is not dead, which is a pity," she commented, getting serious again. Valmont opened his mouth to say something, but she pulled him so hard that he just yelped. "Come on, we have to get there as soon as possible."

The duo went away and Tohru was about to stand up, but Uncle gestured at him not to move. When Tohru gave him a questioning look, Uncle pointed up, above the middle of the street. Tohru looked up and saw Tso Lan and Hsi Wu, in their true forms, going in the same way as Bai Tsa. Jade was being carried by Hsi Wu and seemed fine. In fact, she was even... smiling?

Tohru's eyes widened. How could she be smiling in the arms of a demon?

Uncle, who could not help but notice the very same thing, frowned, not looking pleased at all about that.

When the two demons were at a safe distance, Uncle and Tohru could finally leave their hiding place.

"Shouldn't we follow them, sensei?" Tohru asked.

Uncle shook his head. "No, now is not the most appropriate moment. We are at a huge disadvantage, and I believe that we can be more useful by researching rather than fighting for the time being."

"But Jade is..."

Uncle sighed sadly and lowered his head. "She is fine. She can take care of herself."

"Sensei, how can you say such thing! How can Jade be fine with demons!"

The old man did not respond, just continued on his way to the shop. Tohru, hesitant, followed him with no more words.

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Jackie hurried to the vault in Section 13 where the talismans were kept. Halfway, though, Viper stopped him, looking confused.

"Jackie, what happened?" she asked in concern.

"Listen, I don't have time to explain now. I have to get the talismans," he said and prepared to run again, but his cell phone rang and he stopped.

"Hello?" he answered.

_"Jackieeeeee, you don't need to bring the talismans anymore!"_ Uncle said on the other side of the line.

"What? Why not? What happened?" his nephew asked.

_"The battle is over. Jade was taken back to the demons' hideout. That's all I know, now I have to research about that new demon."_

Jackie sighed. To Uncle, research was the solution for all the problems. But Jackie was already getting impatient. Jade had been taken by the demons _again_ and they were not going to do anything but read books?

"Very well, Uncle. I'm on my way to the shop," he said before hanging up. Viper faced him, demanding answers.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on or not?"

"Let's go to the shop. I'll tell you as we go along."

"Can I go, too?" a worried voice asked behind them. Jackie and Viper turned around to see the Mexican boy who had spoken.

"Of course, Paco."

xxxxxxxx

Xiao Fung ran to the destroyed warehouse where Shendu had been buried. He removed some tiles, bricks, planks and pieces of concrete from the top of the dragon and for a moment, stood still, not knowing what to do. Shendu lied unconscious and seemed rather wounded.

"Shendu?" he called, unsure. Since the dragon was barely breathing, Xiao knelt down next to him. "Shendu? Shendu, wake up! Are you all right?" He shook him to try making him regain consciousness. The fire demon drew a deep breath with difficulty and opened his eyes a bit. "Oh, good, you're still alive," Xiao said, relieved.

He tried to help his brother stand up, but the fire demon was too weak and had to lean on Xiao Fung.

"Uh... hmm... You cannot walk, can you?" the wind demon asked rather clumsily. Shendu opened his eyes to glare at him, annoyed with the stupid question.

Xiao let out a heavy sigh and glanced around, disoriented. How would he take Shendu to a safe place without attracting any mortal's attention? There could be two chi wizards around and they might take advantage of Shendu's condition. And even if the two demons took their human forms, Xiao could not carry him all the way to their hideout. That would take ages, anyway.

Unless they took some transport of the mortals. They just had to go to a less deserted area.

"Can you at least take a human form?" he asked Shendu, who made an effort to nod. However, it took him almost two minutes to concentrate enough and turn into a blond man, the form which he had used before. "See? It wasn't that hard, was it?" Xiao remarked sarcastically and took his own human form.

Xiao Fung placed Shendu's arm around his neck and helped him walk.

"W-Where... Where are we going?" Shendu asked.

"We are going back to our hideout..." Xiao smiled. "... by taxi."

xxxxxxxx

"What do you mean she is back? That's impossible!" Tchang Zu roared. Jade and Valmont flinched, but the other demons were more than used to that. Dai Gui stared at Tso Lan in disbelief and Po Kong sighed.

"Tchang Zu, you know it is not impossible. Since that dark chi explosion, we all knew that this could happen," she said gloomily. Bai Tsa rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation.

"I don't understand why you are making a big thing of it. Mei Liang may have the talisman powers, but she is _alone_. She has no chance against all of us," the water demon said coolly.

"That is true," Tso Lan agreed, glancing to her. "And that is why freeing her brothers will be her first move."

Bai Tsa shrugged. "Even if she gets help from her brothers, they will be at a number disadvantage."

Hsi Wu flew next to her. "Have you forgotten the power of her oldest brother?" he questioned. "If he absorbs our powers, it will be very difficult to defeat them."

"But we do not have to worry about them, right?" she said and glanced at each one of her siblings. "Their portals have been sealed forever, haven't they?"

"And so were ours, when that chi wizard banished all of us back to the Netherworld. And yet, we are free again. What makes you sure that the same cannot happen to other demons?" Po Kong pointed out.

Tchang Zu began pacing up and down the room, knocking some furniture over.

"All right, we just have to locate Mei Liang and eliminate her before she can set her brothers free," he muttered, thoughtful.

"By the way, where are Xiao Fung and Shendu?" Po Kong wanted to know.

"Well, I don't know about Xiao Fung, but I think Shendu may be dead," Bai Tsa answered, barely managing to hold back her smirk. Tchang Zu immediately stopped and everyone looked at her in astonishment.

"Dead!"

"Have you seen his corpse?" Tso Lan enquired seriously. Bai Tsa hesitated and shook hear head. "Then we cannot be sure that he is dead," the moon demon concluded simply.

"Then where _is_ he?" Tchang Zu asked.

"He must be with Xiao Fung," Hsi Wu guessed. The thunder demon growled and began pacing again.

After a while, Hsi Wu turned to Tso Lan. "Oh, brother Tso, what about the spell to turn us back to adults?"

The ones who had been turned into children immediately turned their attention to the moon demon.

"That is right, I already have almost all the ingredients. Only one thing is missing," Tso Lan replied.

"Yes, and what is it?" the youngest demon wanted to know.

"Ambrosia."

Even the demons who were hardly paying attention looked at him in surprise. Bai Tsa raised a brow and crossed her arms.

"Ambrosia? Does that still exist?" she asked.

"Of course yes," Tso Lan assured.

"Ambrosia? Hmm, that name is familiar..." Jade murmured to herself, trying to remember.

"I just need someone to go to Greece and get some of it," Tso Lan said and looked at the sky demon. "I think you are the most suitable for that, Hsi Wu. You can go and come back tonight, can you not?"

"Sure, brother Tso. I'm off to Greece, then." Hsi Wu flew to the nearest window, but before he could leave, Jade ran to him.

"Hsi Wu, can I come? Please, I've never been to Greece," she asked.

"No, Jade. I will get there faster if I go alone. Besides, you haven't been feeling well, you'd better stay here."

Jade frowned and crossed her arms, but did not insist. She wanted to be an adult again as soon as possible and would certainly have other opportunities to go to Greece, anyway.

Hsi Wu left through the window and disappeared in few seconds. Meanwhile, Tchang Zu and Dai Gui left the room and Tso Lan placed all the ingredients on a coffee table, where there were some other ingredients and an open book.

"While Hsi Wu is out, I will prepare the potion," he informed. Po Kong smiled and also stood up to leave.

"Mmm, I hope I can get some ambrosia, too. That thing is just... divine," she said, licking her lips. She then went straight to the kitchen.

Not getting to think of anything to do, Jade just went back to her place on the sofa and watched the two remaining demons.

Tso Lan took a big bowl and began to mix the ingredients inside it, producing a liquid that looked like gasoline and strongly smelled like rotten eggs. The other three occupants in the room grimaced and covered their noses.

"Eww! Tso Lan, how can you stand that?" Bai Tsa asked.

"Argh... I need fresh air...!" Jade said, standing up and running to the door that led to the backyard. Bai Tsa and Valmont followed her example when Tso Lan added another ingredient, which made the potion turn green and smell even worse.

Outside, Jade ran past the pool and sat down behind some flowered bushes. She sighed, glad for breathing oxygen again, and lied down to observe the sky. From the city, with so many lights and pollution, the sky was not so starry. Oh, how she wished to be flying above the clouds so that she could see the sea of stars up in the sky and the sea of urban lights down on the earth, while feeling the cool wind blowing on her face...

xxxxxxxx

Valmont leaned against the wall and took several deep breathes, enjoying the sufficiently fresh air outside. When he was a bit more relaxed, he raised his gaze to see the water demon in front of the pool.

"I think I could swim a bit now," she said and leapt forward to dive into the water. After almost one minute, Bai Tsa resurfaced and coughed, choking. Valmont could not help but sneer.

"Well, well, well, how ironic. I can't believe the water demon nearly drowned in a pool," he remarked. Bai Tsa glared daggers at him and hissed.

"I was not drowning! It's just that this water is horrible! It tastes weird," she defended herself and Valmont raised his eyebrows, understanding.

"Ah, it's because that water has chlorine."

"Chlorine?"

"Yes, it is a-"

"Silence, human!" she cut him off, annoyed, and Valmont immediately closed his mouth. Bai Tsa got out of the pool, sat down on its edge and turned to see the boy. "Come here," she ordered, tapping the ground next to her. Hesitant, Valmont obeyed her, a bit confused.

Bai Tsa looked at him from the corner of her eye when he sat beside her.

"So, you think the idea of me, the water demon, drowning is amusing, don't you?" she questioned dryly, although Valmont thought that there was a hint of humour in her voice.

"Uh... No, I-" Before he could finish his lie, Bai Tsa shoved him into the pool and he yelped before falling. Due to his surprise, Valmont took a while to realise what had happened and recover. He then swam back to the surface and when he got there, the water demon was pointing at him and laughing.

Valmont began to struggle and gasp, apparently drowning.

"Help...! I can't swim!" he shouted. Bai Tsa immediately stopped laughing and got alarmed.

"Ah! Hurry, hold my hand!" she quickly said, stretching her hand to save him. Valmont held it and pulled it hard, causing her to fall to the water as well. "Ahhh!"

Bai Tsa got to the surface and glared at Valmont, who was now smiling in victory.

"Got you," he stated simply.

"Funny," she hissed, slitting her eyes in anger.

"You started it," Valmont reminded her, shrugging. "But I must say I am surprised. I didn't think you would get so scared because I was drowning."

Bai Tsa blushed slightly. "Ah, I... I... Nonsense, I was not scared at all! I just did not want to lose another slave so soon, that's all!" she retorted. Valmont rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Let's stop this. We are behaving like children..."

"Hmm, perhaps because we _are_ children?" Bai Tsa suggested in a sarcastic tone.

"We just look like children, but..." He stopped and his eyes widened a bit. "Do you think we will also start to think like children from now on?" he asked in concern.

"So what? Tso Lan is making the potion, anyway," Bai Tsa said, then glared at him again and took a deep, exasperated breath. "I still cannot believe I fell for such an old trick..." she muttered, but Valmont could hear her.

"Neither can I. Did you really believe I was drowning?" he provoked.

"So you swim well?" she made sure.

"Very well," he said, self-confident. Bai Tsa smirked maliciously.

"Then I think I will have to drown you!" she exclaimed, placing her hands on his head and pressing it down to dive him completely. Valmont struggled, trying to swim back to the surface, but the water demon held him firmly. After some seconds, she let him go and he resurfaced, coughing and panting.

"What do you think you are doing!" he protested.

"Getting my revenge!" Bai Tsa answered before diving him again. After almost half a minute, she let go of him.

"Bai Tsa, stop that!" he demanded between coughs. She laughed and dove him one more time.

"And spoil my fun? No way."

This time, instead of struggling, Valmont grabbed her tail and pulled it. Bai Tsa yelped in surprise and let go of Valmont, who took advantage of that to dive her the same way she had done to him.

But Bai Tsa did not like that at all. Who did that human think he was?

Being much stronger than him and not needing to breathe air, she grabbed his wrists and pushed him against the edge of the pool, facing him with red glowing eyes. Valmont, however, kept a calm expression.

"What's the matter? You didn't like it?" he provoked. The mermaid squeezed his wrists tighter and faced him even closer.

"You fool," she hissed. They stayed like that for a long while. Bai Tsa just could not think of anything to do but stare at those sky-blue eyes. They looked so familiar... She was sure there was something in the past that she should remember, but it was so distant...

_'I will come back for you...'_ a voice echoed in her mind. Bai Tsa widened her eyes, puzzled. Who had said that?

Suddenly, the sound of a horn interrupted her thoughts and she startled, abruptly letting go of Valmont. The both of them turned to the direction the noise had come from, but they could not see the street from the pool.

"What was that?" Bai Tsa wondered and got out of the pool. Valmont did the same and the duo ran to the front side of the house.

At the street, there was a taxi parked. Xiao Fung opened its door and got out with Shendu, who was covered in blood and had to lean on his brother not to fall. When Xiao saw his sister, he waved at her and smiled.

"Sorry, Bai Tsa! He's still alive!" he shouted and even Shendu had to smile. On the other hand, neither the water demon nor Valmont were happy with that. They both had really hoped that the dragon would have died.

xxxxxxxx

The bell of the shop rang, indicating that someone had entered. Uncle raised his glance, alert, but relaxed as he saw it was just Jackie, followed by Viper and Paco.

"Have you found something, Uncle?" the archaeologist wanted to know, closing the door.

"Are Jade and Jack all right?" Viper asked, worried.

"Yes, I believe they are," Uncle answered before going back to read the thick book on his desk. "As for the research, I have found some information about this new demon."

"Well?" Jackie said. At that moment, Tohru came from the kitchen with a tray, serving some tea to Uncle.

"Thank you," the old man said and then turned to his nephew again. "Mei Liang was part of a family subordinated to the demonic family we know. A long time ago, the Heads of those two families reached an agreement for arranged marriage. Mei Liang, the youngest one of the first family, was engaged with Shendu."

"What? With Shendu?" Jackie asked, frowning.

Uncle nodded. "Yes, because they are dragons. Dragons were considered noble creatures and were nearly extinct. The idea was to create a new dragon clan. But things didn't go very well, because they disliked each other. Besides, Mei Liang's family betrayed Shendu's family and they got in a conflict. In the end, Shendu himself sealed her in a parallel dimension from which it was impossible to escape."

"Then why could she escape?" Viper enquired.

"Do you remember that a while ago, we had planned to banish the demons to the Realm of Eternal Suffering by sacrificing Jackie?"

The other three nodded and Uncle went on.

"It was the same method to banish Mei Liang. Shendu sacrificed his firstborn to accomplish that."

"But how could she escape from that realm, sensei?" Tohru asked.

"Getting to that!" Uncle snapped, annoyed with the interruption. "When we tried to do the same, some sort of chi overload occurred, which caused the dark chi explosion and broke the seal of that dimension. Thus, the spell went wrong and Mei Liang could escape."

There was brief moment of silence, everyone trying to absorb all that information.

"Tell me, Uncle, why does she possess the talismans powers and can control the Shadowkhan?" Jackie asked and Uncle shrugged.

"She absorbed all of Shendu's powers. But that is not our most important problem, because we have the talismans, as well," he replied.

"Then what's our most important problem?" Viper asked.

"And when are we going to save Yade?" Paco added, anxious.

"Do not worry about Jade _for now_. The demons must be concentrating on how to defeat Mei Liang, perhaps Jade will even have a chance to escape on her own." Uncle then darkly muttered something under his breath, but nobody could understand what he said. After some while, he just went on in his normal tone of voice, "We, too, should be concentrating on how to defeat Mei Liang. As well as Shendu, she is at a disadvantage all alone, so she will set her brothers free so they can help her. We must stop her."

"And how are we going to do that?" Jackie asked.

"I will try to locate the power of the talismans. The problem is that the locator spell may indicate the talismans which are kept in Section 13, so I will have to work on that to make it more accurate."

"What can _we_ do while you take care of that?" his nephew asked, getting desperate.

"You can make tea to Uncle," the old man answered, going back to his reading. Jackie and Viper did not look happy with that answer, but it was Paco who objected.

"Why don't we go save Yade!"

Uncle shot him an annoyed glance. "If you want to face eight powerful demon sorcerers, go ahead. But I am telling you that Jade is fine."

"How can you be so sure about that?" Viper asked. Uncle hardly bothered to raise his glance from his book.

"I just am," he replied simply.

The four people around him looked at one another and Tohru shrugged. Jackie sighed in defeat and turned around.

"I'll bring Jack back. It's still too dangerous outside and I don't want him to be alone there."

"I'm coming with you," Viper offered, leaving with him. Paco sadly lowered his head, uneasy.

"Tohru, go and make the antidote for Captain Black. Jade may not be here anymore, but he still is a child," Uncle said.

"Yes, sensei."

Paco frowned. Yes, Jade was not here anymore. But not for too long. No matter what Uncle said, Paco did not believe that someone could be fine being hostage of demons. And if no one wanted to rescue her, _he_ would have to do that by himself.

He just had to think of way to do it...

xxxxxxxx

The fetid smoke of the potion which Tso Lan was making had already taken over the whole first floor of the house, and Xiao Fung almost let Shendu fall. The dragon, who was already too weak, passed out because of the smell. Valmont almost did the same when he was forced to enter the sitting room again.

"Tso Lan, what is that... that thing?" Xiao Fung asked, grimacing.

"It is our antidote," Bai Tsa answered, not very happy with the smell either.

"Will we have to _drink_ that?" Valmont complained.

"Once I add ambrosia, the smell and the taste will get better," Tso Lan assured.

"How can you tell? Have you ever drunk that potion?" Bai Tsa questioned.

"No," the moon demon replied simply and his sister just rolled her eyes.

"You will at least bath when you are done with that potion, right?" Xiao Fung said. Not waiting for an answer – which would never come, anyway –, the wind demon dragged Shendu to a room on the second floor.

"Please, let's get out of here? I am getting sick," Valmont said with a suffering expression. The mermaid nodded and gestured at him to follow her.

"So am I. Let's go upstairs."

The air on the second floor was quite fresher and they both could breathe normally, relieved. Bai Tsa walked on the corridor and stopped in front of a closed door, looking curiously at it.

"What is in this room?" she asked Valmont.

"It's just a place where we keep some old things," the boy answered and then Bai Tsa slowly opened the door. The place was all dark, and the draught created when the door was opened caused all the dust to rise.

Bai Tsa went in, even though the room was pitch-black. However, Valmont soon turned the light on and they could clearly see what was in there.

Wooden boxes. Seemingly, they had not been opened for a long time. Bai Tsa began to open each one of them, finding old books, toys, photo frames, tools, clothes, and so on.

"So much trash. Isn't there anything useful here?" the water demon complained. Then, when she opened a new box, she seemed interested in what was inside it. "Is this a...?" she murmured, taking a dusty violin out of the box.

"It's a violin," Valmont stated. To his surprise, a pleased smile played on the mermaid's face.

"Of course, a musical instrument!" She turned to him, eager. "Can you play it?"

Valmont frowned, bewildered. "I haven't played it for ages... I would need to practice and-"

"Oh, it's all right, I have not played it for ages, either. And when I say ages, I mean it. I think I don't even know how to play it anymore."

She searched for the bow in the box. When she found it, she leaned the violin on her shoulder and the bow on the strings.

"Let's see..." she murmured, biting her lip. She pressed the bow unnecessarily hard on the strings and pulled it. A deafening noise echoed in the entire room and in the corridor. Valmont flinched and had to cover his ears.

Bai Tsa looked rather embarrassed. "Hmm... I think I will have to relearn everything... Perhaps if I do this..." she said to herself, repositioning the bow on the strings. Valmont, alarmed, prevented her from continuing.

"No!" he exclaimed, attracting the demon's attention. "You have to hold it like this..." he said, correcting the way she was holding the violin and the bow. "... You control the strings with your fingers, here... and have to slide the bow slower... like this..." he explained, making the movements of the demon's hands for her to show exactly how to do it. The first note was quite low, and then the second and the third notes came a bit higher. Valmont let go of her so that she could repeat the three notes by herself.

"Yes, that is right..." she said, getting to play two more notes. "If I practice a bit, I will surely remember how to play it," she commented, but the fifth note was not that good again and Valmont flinched at the unpleasant sound.

"Or perhaps if you practice _a lot_," he remarked.

xxxxxxxx

Xiao Fung entered the kitchen and was not surprised to see Po Kong eating the rest of the food in the refrigerator.

"I guessed you would be here," he said.

"Oh, you are back. What happened to Shendu?" she asked, not really caring.

"I tried to apply the dressing on him, but he told me to leave him alone," he answered, grabbing a biscuits pot and seeing if there was something to eat inside it. Not even a crumb.

"Oh, then he's all right. He is a demon, he will be fine soon enough," the mountain demon assured. Xiao sighed and opened the pantry. It was empty, as well.

"Where are the others? Tchang Zu and Dai Gui?" he wanted to know, opening the freezer. Just ice inside it.

"They must be hiding from that smelly potion that Tso Lan is making," she replied.

"It's just that there is something you all should know... Hmm, we know that Mei Liang will attempt to set her brothers free, right?" he started, checking one of the saucepans on the cooker. Only air there.

"Yes, we were talking about that before you arrived, when the air in the sitting room was still breathable."

"Well, yes, and we also know that she would need a _really_ great power to do that, right?" He looked into the oven. Nothing. "What the Netherworld! Isn't there absolutely anything edible here! Have you just eaten all the food!" he complained angrily.

"Yes," she answered evenly. Xiao Fung moaned in frustration and sat on a chair. "So, what should we know?"

"Well, Mei Liang does not have enough power to free her brothers..."

"That is why we do not have to worry."

"Ah... That's the problem. You see, it seems that... she has joined forces with that little girl."

"What little girl?"

"You know, that blonde... Bai Tsa's new mortal's daughter. The one who has the Hun Yu jewel."

Po Kong froze and slowly turned to him, alarmed.

"You mean now Mei Liang has the power of the Hun Yu jewel for herself?"

He nodded. The mountain demon instantly got up and rushed out of the kitchen. The others had to know about this.

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_"Jackie, have you gotten to find an antidote? I can't stand being in this child form anymore, and my wife is throwing a fit here!"_ Captain Black said in desperation. Jackie sighed.

"I don't know, Captain Black. I'm not even at Uncle's shop, I'm going to get Jack at his school."

_"Oh, then tell my children that they should come back home, too. It's very late already,"_ Black requested.

"Sure," Jackie answered before hanging up.

"Here we are," Viper said when they arrived at the school.

"Let's look for them."

The couple entered the party and glanced around, trying to find one of the three children in the middle of the crowd.

"Look, Vinicius is right there!" Viper announced, pointing at the red-haired boy.

"Vinicius! Over here!" Jackie shouted, raising his hand and waving at him. The boy turned towards him and quickly noticed them. He waved back and ran to meet the two adults.

"Hello, Mr and Mrs Chan!" he greeted.

"Where are Jack and your sister?" the archaeologist asked.

"Somewhere around here. I think they're together. I just don't know where Jade is. She disappeared all of a sudden..." Vinicius answered with some concern in his voice.

"Jade is not here, Vinicius," Viper said.

"She isn't?"

"Look, we just want to find Jack and Alice. And your father told you to go home because it's late," Jackie said.

"Oh, alright, then. I'll help you look for them."

They three headed to the gym, where children and teenagers were dancing. Jackie glanced at Vinicius; he had never seen the boy so worried, though he was trying to keep a calm façade.

Perhaps it was because of Jade's sudden disappearance. Jackie knew she and Vinicius had come together. He wondered if that meant something.

**To be continued...**


	27. Confusing Feelings

**A/N:** Ah, the things these plotbunnies make me do... I wrote this chapter so fast that my hands – no, my arms hurt a lot for hours. And I couldn't help but post it this soon. I hope you like this chapter. -smiles-

And QuickEdit keeps making fun of me... Now I can't put an exclamation mark after a question mark, because the latter gets deleted.

**VampireNaomi** – Yep, I wanted to work on Xiao's characterisation a bit more, thanks for noticing that. So you see? Bai Tsa and Valmont were just made for each other, muahaha! XD I hope I'm not going too fast with those two.

**Hellblaze** – Oh, yes, they'll be back to adult size in this chapter, actually. Julia won't be appearing much for a while, but she'll be back soon.

* * *

**–CHAPTER 27–  
_Confusing Feelings_**

Why didn't she run?

Her family and her friends should be worried. The demons were dangerous and spiteful. Then, why didn't she run? Nobody was watching her, Hsi Wu should be in Greece – or perhaps coming back – and she was not locked up in any room, but lying on the grass in the backyard, looking at the stars. She could easily run away, and her absence would probably be noticed many hours later, maybe even on the following day.

But to her own surprise, she realised she did not want to run away. At least not now. She stared at the sky, expecting Hsi Wu to appear at any moment with the last ingredient for the potion which would turn her into an adult again.

However, she had a weird feeling; she felt guilty. What would Uncle say when he found out about her feelings for Hsi Wu? What would Jackie, Tohru, Viper say? And what about Paco?

Just to think of the Mexican boy made her heart feel heavy. He was a childhood friend, a nice person, although quite annoying at times... It hurt her to remember that he loved her. To her, he was just a friend. A great friend. She did not want to hurt him. Even so, he would certainly be heartbroken when he found out that Jade did not feel the same for him; she loved Hsi Wu.

Jade smiled weakly at the irony. Who would have guessed that after all his evil doings, the sky demon would have developed warm feelings towards her during all these eleven years in the Netherworld, while she did the same, although she had tried to deny it? Now she understood that love was really strange and unpredictable...

She stared down at the horizon and then up at the sky again. Still no sign of Hsi Wu, and she guessed it should be three or four o'clock in the morning. She was beginning to feel sleepy, but when she was about to close her eyes, she thought to have seen something in the sky. She immediately got up and narrowed her eyes to try seeing better.

There was no doubt. It was Hsi Wu quickly approaching. Jade was impressed; he could really fly _very_ fast, since he had travelled from San Francisco to Greece and came back at the same night. And on top of that, in a child form.

In few minutes, the sky demon was already gliding above her, until he finally landed.

"I got the ambrosia," he announced, raising a small cloth bag. Jade grinned and hugged him.

"Cool! Now we can go back to normal!" she said cheerfully. Then, they entered the house together.

It was dark and the air was no longer contaminated with the smell of the antidote. Jade guessed that Tso Lan had taken it to a more isolated place in the house. She did not think that even he could stand for too long that thing right under his nose. Or tongue. Or whatever he used to smell.

At the sitting room, Tso Lan was sitting on an armchair, his eyes closed. Jade could not tell whether he was sleeping or just meditating. Xiao Fung, in his human form, was lazily lying on a sofa. And in a smaller sofa were Bai Tsa and Valmont; the water demon was taking up almost the entire sofa and holding a violin; Valmont was on the other side, sitting as comfortably as possible.

Hsi Wu silently approached the moon demon. "Tso Lan," he called quietly. "Tso Lan, wake up." Seeing that nothing happened, he shook his brother's shoulder. "Brother Tso, I brought the ambrosia."

The moon demon slowly opened his eyes and stared vaguely at his youngest brother. "Hmm?"

"I brought the ambrosia," Hsi Wu repeated, showing him the cloth bag, and Tso Lan nodded, already fully awaken.

"Excellent, Hsi Wu. Wake Bai Tsa, then," he ordered, taking the bag and standing up. Hsi Wu approached his sister and shook her a bit harder.

"Sister Bai! BAI TSA, WAKE UP! BAI TSA!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, making the mermaid and Valmont awake with a startle. Xiao Fung woke up as well, but he was still quite drowsy.

"Uh? What? What happened?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Tso Lan is going to finish the antidote," the youngest demon answered. Bai Tsa instantly sat up.

"Where is it?" she asked eagerly.

"Easy, he is still making it."

Xiao Fung yawned and wiped the corner of his mouth. "Yes, I can smell it. I really hope the ambrosia will take care of that," he remarked.

Hsi Wu glanced around. "Where are the others?"

"They are upstairs deciding what to do about Mei Liang. They are kind of worried because now she has the power of the Hun Yu jewel," Xiao explained in a bored tone.

"Well, that really is worrisome," Hsi Wu agreed, frowning.

"Po Kong threw a fit when he told her. I couldn't even go on with my practicing," Bai Tsa commented, pointing at the violin beside her.

Jade approached the winged demon. "Uhn... Hsi Wu, what will happen if that Mei Liang has the power of the jewel? Is that... too bad?" she asked and Hsi Wu nodded.

"It is terrible. That jewel has an unimaginable power and should be used only by pure people. That little girl should have never got involved with it. Now Mei Liang has it in her hands," he said gloomily.

Jade looked very apprehensive, but Xiao Fung smiled unworriedly. "There is no reason to panic. Brother Tso Lan will find a way to locate her," he assured.

"And then what?" the Chinese girl asked.

He shrugged. "And then we fight her and see how it ends."

Jade raised an eyebrow, not feeling any better.

Suddenly, a very strong smell of carrion took over the room and everyone grimaced, covering their noses.

"The antidote is done," Tso Lan announced, coming from the kitchen and using his gravity power to make two big bowls and four glasses float after him.

"Yeah, I noticed," Xiao Fung remarked sarcastically.

The moon demon made the bowls and the glasses land on the coffee table. "First, you have to drink this potion." Tso Lan pointed at one of the bowls, which contained a greenish-yellow liquid. "Then, you will begin to slowly get old. That may take a while. And then, once you reach your true ages, you must drink this other potion." He pointed at the other bowl, where there was a pink liquid.

Tso Lan dived one of the glasses into the first liquid.

"So, who is going to be the first?" he asked.

Everyone was silent; nobody felt very brave to drink that potion.

The moon demon raised a brow and looked at Jade. "You drink it first," he said, pointing at her. Jade's eyes widened in horror.

"Me? Why does it have to be me?"

"Because you are a Chan. Now drink it," he demanded. Jade turned to Hsi Wu with desperate eyes, but he just nodded, encouraging her to try it. Defeated, the girl moaned in frustration and took the glass.

Close up, its appearance was almost as horrible as its smell. Jade would have taken a deep breath to gather courage, if only that just did not make things worse. Instead, she just gulped, closed her eyes, held her breath and sipped it.

At the instant the potion touched her tongue, Jade felt her stomach flipping over and over. She felt so nauseous that she thought she would get sick. At the following second, she was spitting out the liquid and coughing.

"This tastes awful! It's so disgusting!" she complained.

"But you have to drink it up. If you drink just some of it, you will not get even a month older," Tso Lan said, refilling the glass and returning it to Jade. The girl took it with a trembling hand. "You too," he added to the other three children.

Hsi Wu was the first one to get a glass. Then it was Bai Tsa, a bit hesitant. Valmont could just stare at Jade, his widening as he watched the girl's suffering expression.

"Drink it," Bai Tsa ordered, elbowing him. Valmont reluctantly grabbed the last glass and dived it into the greenish-yellow liquid.

"It will be easier if you drink it all at once," Xiao Fung advised.

The four children closed their eyes, anguished, and gathered courage to drink the potion with just one sip.

Xiao Fung's right eye twitched. "You know... I'm glad that I don't have to drink it as well," he remarked to Tso Lan.

"Ditto," Tso Lan replied simply.

When they were done, the quartet was pale, coming out in a cold sweat. They looked like they were going to faint at any moment.

"I think I'm going to throw up..." Jade murmured.

"Tso Lan, you liar, you said the potion would taste better when you added ambrosia..." Bai Tsa protested weakly. The moon demon raised his brows.

"That is true. Just to make it taste a bit better, I added some ambrosia to that potion, although it is only necessary in this one," he said and pointed at the pink liquid.

"You mean the original taste of this is even worse...?" Hsi Wu asked faintly.

"Oh, my, are you feeling all right?" Xiao Fung asked. Only Hsi Wu and Bai Tsa found strength to shake their heads as an answer.

"And it will get worse in the following minutes. But I think you will feel better in some hours. I have to locate Mei Liang now." Tso Lan turned to Xiao Fung. "Meanwhile, take care of them." He then looked at the others again. "And do not forget to drink the other potion when you reach your true ages."

With that, he left to the second floor. Xiao took a look at the first bowl and grabbed it. "I'm going to get rid of this. I think flushing it will do."

xxxxxxxx

Tso Lan slowly opened the door and saw Tchang Zu, Po Kong and Dai Gui gathered.

"I hope this won't end up like the last time..." Po Kong muttered darkly. Tso Lan cleared his throat to announce his presence and the others turned to him.

"I will prepare a spell to locate Mei Liang now," he said and Tchang Zu nodded.

"Tso Lan, how good that you are here. We need your wisdom," Po Kong said. The moon demon raised his brows in slight surprise. His siblings rarely valued wisdom; they usually thought that violence solved everything.

"Hmm, yes, what do you need to know?" he asked.

"We have reached the conclusion that the best way to get rid of Mei Liang is by banishing her into the Realm of Eternal Suffering again," Tchang Zu started.

"After all, she was released by sheer chance. It is unlikely that such thing will happen again as long as we avoid another great concentration of dark chi in the seal of the portal," the mountain demon continued.

"Do you agree?" Dai Gui asked.

"I do. We just have to make sure that no one else will interfere in that dimension," Tso Lan replied.

"We thought you would say that. The problem is, we need someone important to us to sacrifice," his sister said.

"Any suggestion?" Tchang Zu asked. Tso Lan pondered over that for a short while, but then sighed heavily.

"I think we should discuss that when the whole family is together. Let's leave that decision for tomorrow," he answered and left the room. The other three looked at one another, uncomfortable, but said nothing.

xxxxxxxx

It was almost five in the morning and the sky was still dark. The sitting room was silent, except for the sound of pages being turned by Xiao Fung. The wind demon, bored to death, had found some magazines and had begun leafing through them, not finding anything interesting until discovering that one of the magazines had many recipes and pictures of exotic dishes. Since then, he could not stop looking at them, although they made him painfully remember that there was nothing to eat at the house.

Jade glanced at Hsi Wu. The sky demon was quite older, but had not reached his actual age yet. He seemed to be in his adolescence. Bai Tsa was almost an adult, about seventeen years old for human standards, and had fallen asleep. Valmont then was about twenty years old. Humans probably got old faster, since they had a shorter lifetime.

The Chinese girl took a glance at herself, guessing she should be growing up faster, as well. That reminded her of the time she had made a potion to grow up so she could go to London and retrieve the noble horse. But back then, she had literally grown instead of getting older and.

"Hsi Wu, do you think I'm at my right age now?" she asked, wishing she had a mirror so that she did not have to ask that same question for the thousandth time.

The sky demon eyed her. "No," he answered, shaking his head. Jade snapped and lied down on the sofa. Well, at least she was beginning to feel better. Perhaps that was sign that she was almost reaching her true age.

"Aww, I'm bored! Can't we even play some game? Even chess is fine!" she said, impatient.

"If you push yourself either mentally or physically, the potion will not have the same effect," Xiao Fung replied evenly, without taking his eyes off the magazine. Jade snorted and crossed her arms. She had never thought she would be so bored around three demons and one criminal.

Suddenly, Valmont leaned forward and dived his glass into the pink liquid. Everyone – except for Bai Tsa, of course – stared at him in surprise.

"What are you doing? You are still far from your actual age," the wind demon warned him.

"Exactly," Valmont said tranquilly.

"What do you mean?" Jade asked in confusion and he shrugged.

"I think there is no problem to get some extra years of life," he replied and drank the second potion. Jade's expression brightened and she pointed at him.

"Hey, good idea. Like, I'd do the same thing, but I'm still naturally young," she said, smirking proudly and sarcastically. Valmont snorted, deciding to ignore that comment. "So, does that potion taste better than the other one? Because it sure smells better."

"It is much better. It's the best thing I have ever drunk," Valmont answered, drinking it up to the last drop. "It's delicious!" he exclaimed, preparing to dive the glass again. However, Xiao Fung stopped him.

"Hey, easy there! You can drink only _one_ glass, no more than that," he said and snatched the glass from Valmont's hand. "Give me that!" And he dived it into the liquid to drink it.

"Hey, why can you drink more?" Valmont questioned when the wind demon refilled the glass.

"Because I am a demon. I can."

"Jade, I think you can drink it now," Hsi Wu informed her. Valmont, not standing to see the wind demon drinking the potion for the third time, stood up and left the room, heading to the backyard. Meanwhile, the Chinese girl dived her own glass in the bowl. This potion had a very sweet smell, and she did not even have to gather courage to drink it.

In fact, unlike the previous one, this potion was marvellous. It was very sweet as well, and when Jade finished it, she was disappointed. She licked her lips and felt an uncontrollable urge to drink more, much more.

She leaned forward and reached out to refill the glass, but Xiao stopped her as well, shaking his head.

"Only one glass, remember?"

Jade moaned. "Just a little more!"

"No. Give me that glass." Xiao snatched the glass from her hand and kept it at a safe distance.

"You are beautiful, Jade," Hsi Wu stated gratuitously, surprising Jade.

"Really?" she asked, blushing slightly.

"Yes. Why don't you wait for me upstairs, in your new room?" the sky demon proposed, making Xiao Fung slit his eyes. Jade giggled and nodded.

"All right, I'm going." She stood up and went upstairs, feeling unusually and mysteriously cheerful. Only when she got there, she stopped and thought better. "Hmm... Why do I have the feeling he said that just to make me move away from that wonderful potion?"

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_'Do not cry...' a voice echoed in her mind. She could not identify its owner. _

"Who is there?" Bai Tsa asked at the darkness around her, but her voice just echoed sadly.

'Do not cry, you never cried because of a human...'

That was true. Bai Tsa had never cried because of a human. Or had she? She did not remember having ever done that. Even so, she had the feeling that had happened once, though she had preferred to forget it.

'... and from now on, I shall never cry because of a human again...' her own voice was heard.

Bai Tsa's eyes widened. Had she said that? Then, another voice was heard, but this time she could recognise it.

'At least not until he returns. If you ever cry because a human again, you will know that he is back,' her brother Tso Lan said. For some reason, Bai Tsa got angry when hearing those words.

"That will never happen! I will not make the same mistake again!" Bai Tsa shouted in unison with her other self, who she could not see. She was so confused. Why had she said that? Why was she feeling so miserable? "I will never fall in love with a human again..." she and the other voice bitterly muttered at the same time.

'I will come back for you...' the mysterious voice echoed one more time. Bai Tsa felt tears of sadness and hatred coming to her eyes.

"Quiet! Be quiet, all of you! Leave me alone!"

"Bai Tsa!" a louder and echoless voice called her and the mermaid woke with a startle. She was in the sitting room, at their hideout, panting and coming out in cold sweat. Before her, Xiao Fung and Hsi Wu stared at her in concern.

"Bai Tsa, what is wrong?" Hsi Wu asked.

"You don't look so well. Do you want me to call brother Tso Lan?" Xiao said. Bai Tsa caught her breath and sat up.

"No, no, I'm fine..."

"Really?" Xiao made sure, sceptical.

"Yes. What is it? Did something happen?" she wanted to know.

"It is time for you to drink the second potion," the wind demon answered, raising the glass filled with the pink liquid. The water demon took it and slowly drank it up. She was trembling a bit and stunned because of her strange dream, so she took a glance around to get it out of her mind.

"Where is my slave?" she asked.

"Out in the backyard," Xiao Fing said, nodding at the door.

Bai Tsa stood up, looking rather annoyed.

"Uhn... Do you need anything, Bai Tsa?" Hsi Wu offered, finding his sister's behaviour very strange.

"No. Just leave me alone," she said dryly.

The two brothers shrugged. "All right..." they replied. Xiao Fung grabbed the bowl, sat on the sofa and drank the rest of the potion. Hsi Wu rolled his eyes and Bai Tsa took the violin before heading to the backyard.

When she left the house, she felt a cold breeze blowing softly on her face. She took a deep breath and looked around; the sky was a bit less dark in the horizon, but many stars could still be seen.

Bai Tsa looked towards the pool. Valmont had his back turned to her and was sitting near the pool, holding his knees and leaning his chin on his arms.

She smirked, pleased. "Good thing that you have understood you cannot escape from me," she commented in an arrogant tone. Valmont did not answer, just stood up and turned to her.

At the instant Bai Tsa saw his face, she dropped the violin. Valmont lowered his glance to see the instrument on the ground, expressionless.

"What... What happened to you?" she asked, amazed. Valmont looked at her again.

"Excuse me?" he asked coldly.

Bai Tsa blinked in confusion. "You look so... so... young," she said. 'Young' was the most neuter word she could think of.

Valmont smiled slyly. "I drank the potion sooner than I was supposed to," he explained simply.

"I see. That was very clever of you," Bai Tsa replied, recomposing and picking the violin. She slowly approached him, taking a human form. "Teach me a bit more," she ordered sharply, raising the violin and the bow in her hand. Valmont opened his mouth to protest, but Bai Tsa silenced him with her free hand. "Do not speak, just do as I told you," she said and narrowed her eyes. "_Now_."

He rolled his eyes and sighed, knowing it was useless to argue with her. The mermaid smiled, seeing he would obey her, sat down on the place where he had been when she had arrived, and positioned the violin and the bow. In an adult human form, she could hold them with more delicacy. Valmont knelt down behind her and held her hands to show the right movements.

While a melody was being formed, Bai Tsa could not help but smile. She felt so good near this man and at the same time, disturbed. As if there was something sorrowful about him that she did not want to remember. Even so, she wanted to be with him. And now, her mysterious happiness was getting to muffle that unpleasant feeling deep inside her heart. It was as if his proximity made her feel safer, even though she was aware that she was much stronger than him and definitely did not need his protection.

She could feel his breathing above her shoulder and his heartbeats on her back. She had not been this close to someone for... ages. She looked at the horizon, where the sun was beginning to rise. It felt so good that she wanted to stay like this for a long time.

To her disappointment, Valmont let go of her hands and backed away. He had just taught her how to play a short melody, now he was letting her continue it by herself.

She bit her lip and mentally cursed. "Hmm... Do that again, will you? I cannot remember all of it," she said, trying to speak as coldly as possible. Valmont backed away again – to Bai Tsa's even greater distress – and sat down beside her.

"Just try. I know you will remember everything," he said firmly but softly.

Bai Tsa looked away and prepared to play. Surprisingly, she moved naturally, almost automatically, and the beautiful melody was played one more time. She could barely believe it, she had no idea how she remembered it. It was as if she had already known it.

She smiled, happy for having made it. Her gaze fell on the water in the pool, where small waves were formed by the wind. Even with chlorine, her element inspired her – as usual – and she added some notes to the melody. The sun had fully risen by now, reflecting on the water. Bai Tsa could smell the salty water of the ocean, sensing the sea near San Francisco. That gave her even more inspiration.

When she finished, Valmont, who looked rather uneasy, stood up. Surprised, Bai Tsa turned to him.

"Hey, where do you think you are going?" she asked.

"I'm going in," he quickly answered. Bai Tsa put the violin and the bow aside and got up to stop him.

"Wait-" she said, but because she got up too fast and was not so used to human legs yet, she sprained her ankle and fell to the ground.

Or rather, she would have fallen, if Valmont had not held her. Well, she practically almost fell on him as well, it had actually been a reflex of him. Even so, they two froze in that position; Bai Tsa being held in Valmont's arms, the both of them facing each other. If he were any other person – or even one of her siblings –, Bai Tsa would have already pushed him away and made some nasty comments. However, she could just keep staring at those blue eyes.

She vaguely noted that their faces were approaching. As if those eyes were attracting her, trying to remind her of something. Now she was at few centimetres away and her lips were almost touching his.

"What are you two _doing_?" Xiao Fung's voice made them startle and Valmont accidentally let go of Bai Tsa, which caused her to painfully fall to the ground. The water demon yelped and he flinched. She shot him a deadly glare and he looked nervously at her, probably praying that she would not hit him again for that.

She then remembered Xiao Fung, who was standing by the door, open-mouthed. She got up and cleared her throat.

"He was teaching me how to play violin," she answered.

"But it did not look like he was teaching you how to play violin. That instrument is on the ground, there, and you were... you..." He pointed at them, incredulous. Bai Tsa and Valmont avoided glancing at each other.

"It's just that I sprained my ankle and almost fell, so he held me. It is nothing you are thinking," the water demon explained. Xiao hardly laughed.

"That is what everyone says," he remarked and Bai Tsa's eyes glowed red.

"Xiao, nothing was happening! Take care of your own business!" she shouted, angry.

The wind demon took a step back. He did not mean to anger his sister like that, it could be too dangerous. The mermaid turned around to get the violin and the bow and then rushed into the house, glaring daggers ay her brother when she went past him. Xiao flinched and waited until she was gone to turn to Valmont.

"You," he called, pointing at him. "The others want you and that other human to go and get more food, because it is all over. Oh, and I have to go with you, to keep an eye on you." He rolled his eyes at the last sentence, obviously not appreciating the idea of babysitting mortals.

xxxxxxxx

Jade did not know why, but now that she was an adult again, she felt infinitely better. She was not even having stomach-aches anymore. She just wished she could have slept a bit more. She could only sleep from five until eleven in the morning, when Hsi Wu had waken her up saying that his siblings had demanded that she went to get more food.

She went downstairs, hiding a yawn, and headed to the sitting room, where most of the demons were. Dai Gui, Tso Lan and Shendu were the only ones who were not around, but Jade did not bother to wonder why.

"You!" Po Kong said, pointing at the girl. Jade raised her eyebrows.

"Me?"

"Is it true there is a lot of food in those..." The mountain demons glanced at Valmont before going on, "... supermarkets?"

"Yeah, that's true," Jade answered, not getting Po Kong's point.

"Then I am coming with you!" the mountain demon announced.

"Good, now I don't have to go, right?" Xiao said hopefully. "Come on, I spent the whole night watching those mortals, give me a break."

"Whatever, Xiao. _I_ want to go. Someone has to save some food from Po Kong," Bai Tsa said.

"Hey!" her sister protested.

"Go on, then! I want to see a banquet tonight for our meeting!" Tchang Zu demanded.

"What meeting?" Jade asked curiously.

"It is none of your business," the thunder demon growled.

"Let's go already," Bai Tsa called, standing by the door, one hand on the doorknob and the other grabbing Valmont's wrist.

"Wait! I am coming with you, too!" Hsi Wu decided at the last moment.

xxxxxxxx

"I don't like this. I just hope no Chan shows up and recognises us. The group is too big, and that is not discreet at all," Bai Tsa muttered.

"Bai Tsa, relax. Right now, the Chans must be thinking of a way to locate Mei Liang," Po Kong said serenely.

Hsi Wu snorted. "And that is exactly what we should be doing instead of buying food," he pointed out dryly.

"Hsi Wu, we will do that this evening. There is no need to hurry. Mei Liang will not release her brothers today. Those things take some time," the mountain demon replied, annoyed with her siblings' bad mood. Jade, on the other hand, looked rather happy for being able to leave that house for a while and be around other human beings. Valmont, however, did not stop glancing around anxiously, as if trying to come up with a way to escape.

"Here we are," Jade announced and the group stood in front of a supermarket. When they entered, Po Kong's eyes widened and she gaped.

"It is... paradise...!" she murmured, amazed.

Bai Tsa rolled her eyes. "Po Kong, it is just a supermarket. And close your mouth, you are starting to drool and attract everyone's attention," she said, frowning at the people who were staring at them. Jade and Hsi Wu went to get trolleys and the group began examining the shelves.

Po Kong stretched her arm into the first shelf and dragged everything she could onto the trolley. Jade's eyes widened and she turned to Hsi Wu and Bai Tsa.

"Uh... Who is going to pay for all that?" she asked.

The two demons pointed at Valmont. "Him," they answered at the same time and Valmont moaned in frustration.

xxxxxxxx

Ten minutes later, the two trolleys were all full and Hsi Wu had to bring a third one.

"Po Kong, control yourself," Bai Tsa said, watching her sister nearly filling the new trolley with meat.

"I can't, it is so much food at the same place!" She looked around and saw the biscuits section. "I want those too!" she shouted, pointing at them.

"Shh, do not shout," Bai Tsa hissed. Hsi Wu, Jade and Valmont pushed the trolleys after the two demons, getting tired of it.

The mountain demon filled the trolley with so many biscuits and candies that some of them fell to the floor.

"No, no, please..." Valmont murmured, looking like he was going to cry every time Po Kong emptied a shelf.

"Bai Tsa, you will have to get me another cart," she said.

"Only if you promise that it will be the last one," her sister demanded.

"Oh, all right, I promise."

Bai Tsa turned to Valmont. "And you, go and get the money we need."

"I have to find a cash machine," he said.

"Hsi Wu, go with him. If he runs away, I shall kill you both," Bai Tsa told her youngest brother.

They three went off and Jade looked at the remaining demon. "So, have you ever considered being on a diet?"

"Hmm... No," Po Kong answered, smirking.

Bai Tsa then came back with another trolley and let Po Kong have it.

"You take those two carts while we take the others and wait in the queue," she decided.

"Right," Po Kong answered, looking madly at the shelves with crackers. Bai Tsa and Jade went towards the checkout and took their place in the shortest queue.

"Did you know that the line you're in is always the one that takes longer to move?" Jade asked rhetorically, smiling.

Bai Tsa looked coldly at her, an eyebrow raised. "Dreadful, isn't it?"

"You know, if I didn't know better, I'd think you are just ordinary people in a normal day at the supermarket," Jade commented, hoping she would annoy the demon.

"Good, because that is exactly what we want people to think. We are in disguise, remember?"

"Tch," Jade snapped, frowning.

They were almost getting to the checkout when Valmont and Hsi Wu returned.

"Sorry we are late; we couldn't decide how much money was necessary. So, where is sister Po?" Hsi Wu asked quickly. At that moment, Po Kong came with not two, but three trolleys, which were so full that the food was falling everywhere.

"Oh, no..." Valmont covered his face. Then, the man at the checkout called them and they went on.

It took him quite a while to register everything and get to know the price.

"Uh... It's... hmm... 540.59 dollars..." the cashier said, unsure.

"Fi... Five... 540 dollars?" Valmont shouted in shock and fainted.

"How did it get _so_ expensive?" Jade asked, astonished.

"Uhn... It must be because of all the wine I just got..." Po Kong confessed. Bai Tsa took the wallet out of Valmont's pocket and handed it to Jade.

"Get the right amount," she ordered. Jade took 100 dollars out of his wallet, raised a brow and looked at the three demons.

"It's not enough, we still need 440 dollars..." she said.

"And 59 cents," the cashier corrected, but was immediately silent when everyone glared at him.

"Then go and get more!" Bai Tsa demanded.

"Hey, I don't have my wallet with me, and Valmont is the only one who knows the password for his account," Jade replied. Some people in the queue looked apprehensively at the group – especially because none of them had bothered to help Valmont yet – while others began to complain about the delay.

"Why don't we just kill that idiot?" Po Kong suggested, causing the cashier to pale.

"Isn't there any other way?" Bai Tsa wondered.

"Let's cast a spell on him!" Hsi Wu hissed.

"We cannot do that, there are too many people here! Do anything strange to them and related to magic and soon we will have the Chans coming here after us," Bai Tsa retorted.

"Can we pay him with a slave?" Po Kong asked, pointing at the cashier.

"Of course not, Po Kong! Then they would really find out who we are!" Hsi Wu snapped.

"Hey, hurry up, you!" people in the queue shouted. Bai Tsa growled in exasperation and knelt down next to Valmont to shake him violently.

"Wake up, you worthless moron! COME ON, WAKE UP!" She yelled and slapped him hard, making Jade and the other humans flinch. The security guards frowned and glanced at each other, unsure whether they should intervene or not.

"Stop that, you're gonna kill him!" Jade said, moving her away from Valmont. The Brit moaned and slowly opened his eyes, rubbing his face where she had hit him. Hsi Wu helped him stand up and dragged him out of the supermarket. Jade slapped her forehead while Po Kong and Bai Tsa forced smiled to the cashier.

xxxxxxxx

It was one o'clock and very hot at the city of San Francisco, especially when one had to carry some heavy bags with tons of food. Since Bai Tsa could not stop complaining, Jade had convinced them to take a little rest and eat ice-cream at a park. Even the demons had to admit they liked the ice-cream, which was new to them. The only one who refused it was Valmont, who was sitting on a bench – beside Bai Tsa – almost catatonically.

"Will he be all right?" Bai Tsa wondered, poking at his arm. Jade, who had sat on the ground next to the bench, turned to take a look at him up and down.

"Yeah, I think so. He's a little shocked now, but he'll feel better soon enough. He already faced much more shocking situations," she answered calmly.

"Are you sure you do not want ice-cream? It's good, look," the mermaid said, lightly shaking her ice-cream in front of his eyes in an attempt to revive him. The man looked at it vaguely, but then shook his head and went back to stare at nothing. Bai Tsa shrugged and kept eating her ice-cream.

Jade smiled, observing the whole park. There were many people of all kinds around them, especially children. She began to wonder what Jackie and the others were doing right now. What about Julia? The girl had been losing control over the jewel the last time, could she control it now or was it the other way round? In any case, she was in the hands of a dangerous demon, and that was not a good sign.

Her smile died and she discreetly glanced at Valmont, feeling a bit guilty. No, he certainly would not be all right any time soon, because he had more things to worry about besides money. He might be the greedy leader of a criminal organisation, but still loved his daughter, Jade was sure about that. How was he feeling at this exact moment?

She sighed and let her gaze wander around the park again. Suddenly, she saw someone who seemed very familiar. She narrowed her eyes and was sure about who it was. He was sitting on a bench on the other side of the park, looking quite depressed. Her guilty feeling returned with full force and she thought she should go and talk to him. She quickly ate the rest of her ice-cream and got up, determined.

"Hsi Wu, I'm... going to buy a newspaper," she said.

"Why?" the sky demon asked in suspicion.

"To see if something strange happened. It may be a clue for Mei Liang's whereabouts," the girl answered, proud of her lie. Hsi Wu thought about that for a moment and nodded.

"Good idea. I will go with you."

"No!" she shouted and everyone stared at her. "I... I mean, don't bother. I promise I'll be right back," she said nervously.

"Jade, wherever you go, I go," he insisted. Jade knelt down and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Hey, don't you trust me? I _promise_ I'll be right back," she whispered. Hsi Wu sighed heavily, but agreed. Jade grinned gratefully and turned around.

She ran to the other side of the park, glanced back to make sure that was not being watched, and approached the boy who was on the bench. When her shadow covered him, he raised his glance and his eyes widened.

"Yade?"

"Hi, Paco."

**To be continued...**


	28. Disagreements

**– CHAPTER 28 –  
**

**_Disagreements_**

"Yade... what... what are you..." Paco stuttered, then paused to organise his thoughts into a complete sentence. "Yade, you're alright!" he said happily and hugged her. Surprised at the boy's reaction, Jade clumsily hugged him back.

"Hmm... Yeah, of course I am, Paco..." she said, smiling nervously. If Hsi Wu saw her like this, things could get really nasty to the Mexican boy.

Paco backed away and eyed her in awe.

"But... how did you get to escape from the demons?" he asked.

"Uh... Escape?" she repeated in confusion, but then realised he still had no idea that she did not want to escape, that she actually wanted to stay with Hsi Wu. But she couldn't tell him yet; this was not the most appropriate moment. "Oh... Yeah... Well, they got distracted and I escaped," Jade lied, uneasy.

"Ah, but that's great, Yade! Now we can go back to the shop. Everybody is so worried about you!"

"Is that... why you were here, so depressed?" she asked sadly and he nodded.

"I was wondering how much you were suffering in the hands of those demons, and I was also trying to think of a way to save you."

Jade never felt guiltier. She was beginning to think that it had been a mistake to come and talk to Paco.

She sighed and sat beside him on the bench.

"Look, Paco... there's something that... You see, when I was with... I..." She stopped. It was no use, she could not tell the truth. She thought it would be the best to tell him, but she just didn't have courage to do that. Words were missing, as if she had suddenly forgotten all of them.

Paco's smile died and his expression turned extremely concerned.

"Yade, did something happen when you were with the demons?" he asked and she hesitantly nodded.

"Yeah, one of them... he... uh..." She fell silent again. It was impossible. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't tell him the truth. Deep inside her, she did not want _anyone_ to know, especially Paco. But for some reason, she couldn't lie either.

Paco suddenly gasped and paled. "Yade...! He didn't... He..."

Jade frowned. What was that about now?

"He didn't... ra... r-ra..." Now it was him who was not able to form a complete sentence, but Jade understood what he meant.

"No! No, it's not that!" she hurried to reply. "It's just that..."

Before she could go on, the boy held her hands. "Yade, if they touched you in any way, tell me now," he said in determination. "Because if they did, I will make them pay for that."

He was serious. Jade could see the determination in his eyes. But she could not let that happen, Paco had no chance against the demons. Though it would be hard to convince him that the demons had caused her no harm.

"Paco, nothing happened to me, I swear..." she began, but the boy did not seem to believe in one single word. He gently held her hands tighter, making her blush. "Paco...?"

"I'm serious, Yade! I'll make those demons pay for what they've done to you!"

"They haven't done anything to me! Why don't you believe me?"

"What is the meaning of this?" an angry voice asked and they turned to see a certain grey-haired, young man who Jade knew very well.

_Oh, no..._ she thought, sighing inwardly. Then, she noted that the sky demon's eyes were staring at Paco's hands holding hers and quickly let go of him.

"Hsi, I mean, Seymour... Uhn, it's not what it looks like," she said. She didn't care if he got mad at her, but she couldn't let him harm Paco.

Hsi Wu, however, did not seem very understanding.

"Liar," he hissed.

"Yade, who's that?" Paco asked, alarmed.

Jade nervously glanced at the two young men. "That's Seymour, a... er... friend of mine. I think you don't know each other," she replied, forcing a smile. Hsi Wu slowly approached them, facing Paco. "Eh, Seymour, this is..."

"Actually, I know who he is," the sky demon interrupted her.

"Oh, you do?" she asked. Hsi Wu then grabbed Paco by his collar and pulled him up. Jade immediately stood up, but she didn't know what to do in order to keep the situation from getting bloody.

"Yes," Hsi Wu answered. Paco faced him in suspicion and was in guard. "Now see here, mortal. Jade is mine, and only mine. She is in my hands."

"Seymour, what are you talking about? I'm not yours! I'm not anybody's!" Jade protested, but Hsi Wu ignored her.

"If you get any closer to her again, I shall have the pleasure to tear you into pieces with my own bare hands. So get away from my sight if you know what's good for you," Hsi Wu hissed, pushing Paco onto the ground as he finished speaking. Paco yelped and Jade gasped, covering her mouth.

"Paco!"

However, the boy quickly jumped on his feet and faced Hsi Wu again. "You're not a human being, are you? You are a demon!" he stated, angry.

"Paco, no! Seymour, please..." Jade tried to calm them down, but it was impossible. They deeply hated each other and were ready to fight.

"Let Yade go, demon!" the Mexican boy demanded. Hsi Wu narrowed his eyes in disdain.

"I warned you, mortal," he said before grabbing Paco's neck with one of his hands and preparing an attack with the other, making his claws in them appear. Jade's eyes widened and she tried to move him away from Paco, but the sky demon was much stronger than her and didn't move at all. Some people around them noted the fight and stopped to stare at them in surprise and expectation.

oOo

Bai Tsa finished eating her ice-cream and took a deep breath, glancing around in annoyance. This place had not much water but many humans, and that did not please her at all. Her group was not very cheerful, either; Hsi Wu had left a while ago after his mortal, Po Kong would not stop staring at a hot-dog stand near them, and Valmont looked around as if he were calculating a grandiose escape or expecting someone he knew to appear and rescue him somehow.

"You had better not try to escape," she warned and leaned closer. Valmont stopped observing the park and looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Because if you do, I shall go after you, and this time I shall break more than just your ribs," she threatened, clenching a fist before him. Valmont unconsciously touched his side and moved a bit away from the water demon.

"Why would I do that? You are the ones who will take me to my daughter," he said coldly. Bai Tsa snorted in contempt.

"You make it look like you are using us," she commented.

"Perhaps I am," he suggested, shrugging. The water demon's eyes glowed red for an instant and she grabbed him by his collar.

"You are very arrogant, are you not?" she hissed.

"Bai Tsa," Po Kong called her, seeming completely oblivious to the little disagreement between her sister and the human. "I want to buy more food. I think those are western sweets," she said, observing a cake shop. Then, she stretched her hand to Valmont. However, he was still facing Bai Tsa.

"Give her the rest of the money," the mermaid ordered. Valmont frowned and took his wallet out of his pocket to hand it to Po Kong, not taking his eyes off Bai Tsa. The mountain demon grabbed the wallet, stood up and headed to the cake shop, leaving the duo alone. "Why do you insist on following that little girl? She doesn't like you, she doesn't want to be near you."

"Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing," he answered petulantly. When Bai Tsa gave him a questioning look, he went on, "You don't like me and I don't like you. I don't want to be near you either. And yet, you can't leave me alone. Why do you do that?"

This time, Bai Tsa was taken by surprise. "You fool, that is completely different! In the first place, I took you as mine because my siblings and I need the human money while we organise," she snapped.

"That is not the only reason," he said, standing up when the demon approached and almost made him fall.

"Of course that is the only reason!" she retorted, standing up also. "When all of this is over, you will be the first to die in my hands."

"Really? I thought you wanted to prove that you can make your slaves live longer," he provoked. Bai Tsa clenched her fists, trying to keep her self-control and not kill him right now.

"I have changed my mind. You are too arrogant and insolent, and I never resent killing that kind of man."

Valmont smirked. "You are pathetic. You and your siblings just think that getting slaves make you feel powerful, but nowadays, that doesn't work anymore. Now you are even afraid of showing your true self in public because the Chans may find out and banish you. No one else knows you exist and you can't do anything about it, and that frustrates you. I almost pity you."

Bai Tsa was aghast by the man's daring. He must have either finally lost his mind or just given up his life and thought that this was a good way to suicide.

"Enough!" She took a threatening step forward, her eyes glowing dangerously, but Valmont just kept smirking.

"Are you going to kill me? Are you going to use your demonic, special powers to do that?" he asked, making her hesitate and frown. What was his point? "Go ahead. It's just a pity that I won't be able to see you being banished," he continued, looking in triumph at something behind her.

Bai Tsa turned around and gasped when she saw the old Chan and his apprentice on the other side of the street. She turned to Valmont, glaring daggers at him and making her eyes turn blue again.

He chuckled. "That was brilliant. I could finally tell you a few home truths and still get away with it," he remarked, amused.

"I will take care of you later," she hissed through clenched teeth. At that moment, a woman screamed on the other side of the park, where Jade and Hsi Wu had gone. "What now?" she wondered, then narrowed her eyes. "Hsi Wu..."

oOo

"Hsi Wu, no! Stop it!" Jade shouted, trying to move him away or at least get in his way. The sky demon had just punched Paco in the face, scratching him with his claws. A few people around them watched the scene in horror, not knowing what to do.

Hsi Wu then finally turned to face her. "Jade, why are you trying to protect this pathetic human?" he questioned.

"Because he's my friend! I can't let you hurt him!" she answered. The sky demon snorted and shoved her, making her fall to the ground. The girl yelped, and when she raised her glance to the fighting duo, Hsi Wu was already lunging at the boy for another attack – and this time, Jade would not have time to help Paco.

Fortunately, the Mexican boy was fast and managed to dodge a mortal blow, getting just some scratches in the chest caused by the demon's sharp claws. He lost his balance and fell, becoming an easy target to Hsi Wu. However, when the winged demon prepared to a new assail, someone grabbed him from behind rather easily. Jade's eyes widened as she noticed that Bai Tsa had come to hold back the fight.

"Hsi Wu, what do you _think_ you are doing?" she hissed so angrily that even Hsi Wu had to calm down a bit and speak in a quieter tone.

"I was getting rid of this wretched mortal," he answered, pointing at Paco.

"You idiot! That chi wizard and his apprentice are right over there, on the next corner! If they see and recognise you, we both might end up being banished back into the Netherworld!" she hissed and let go if her brother so violently that he almost fell, as well. Meanwhile, Jade hurried and knelt down beside Paco.

"Paco! Paco, talk to me! Are you okay?" she asked, examining his bleeding chest.

"I... am..." he murmured, trying to sit up.

"Don't move! I'll get help!" she said.

"Oh, no, you don't," Bai Tsa said sharply and then turned to Hsi Wu. "Get your slave. Let's get the groceries and go back to our hideout."

"But..." he tried to object, but was silent when he saw his sister's furious expression.

"Now!" she demanded. The sky demon hissed in annoyance and grabbed Jade by her wrist.

"Hey, let go of me!" she protested, but was completely ignored. The people watching them got out of the demons' way in fear. "Hsi Wu, let me go, now! I'm warning you! Let me go!"

Some men took a hesitant step forward, but Hsi Wu glared so dangerously at them that they stopped. No one else moved; everyone was aware that these people were really strange and most likely dangerous.

"Yade!" Paco shouted, struggling to get up.

"Paco, call Uncle! He's somewhere around here!" she shouted, remembering what Bai Tsa had just said. He stopped and nodded, while Hsi Wu tightened his grip and pulled the girl closer to him.

"Will you be quiet or will I have to make you?"

Jade glared at him, angry. She then touched her belly; it was that strange feeling again, and suddenly, she was no longer so ready to face him.

When the small group left, some people approached Paco to help him, others went to call an ambulance or the police, and others just went away, not wanting to get involved.

oOo

Po Kong had thought that the supermarket was the best place in the world, but this cake shop was not bad at all. There were lots of sweets, cakes, biscuits, pies, donuts and other delicacies everywhere. Everything was just irresistible.

While she took everything she could, someone entered the cake shop. Po Kong came out from behind the shelf holding several sweets and placed them on the counter with the other things she had chosen. Only then she noticed who had just come in and was now next to her.

"Wow, so many candies..." he remarked to strike a conversation, smiling friendly.

Po Kong's eyes widened as she stared at Tohru. The chi wizard's apprentice was right beside her! But fortunately, he seemed to have no idea who she actually was. In order to keep her disguise, Po Kong smiled back and said, "It is for my family. I have many siblings, you know."

"Oh, I see," Tohru replied, nodding. Then, he hesitantly added, "Hmm... Are you Japanese?"

"Why do you think that?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

He shrugged. "Well, your appearance, your hairstyle..." he explained a bit clumsily and Po Kong smirked.

"I was born in Japan, all right, though I was raised in China," she clarified in amusement.

"Oh... I am Japanese, as well... My name is Tohru. Nice to meet you," he introduced himself shyly and bowed.

"My name is... is..." She hesitated to think of a random name. However, before she could answer him, the cashier of the cake shop talked to him.

"It's four dollars and ninety-eight cents."

Tohru nervously paid the man and took his packet to leave. Po Kong discreetly watched him from the corner of her eye while he slowly left the cake shop and smiled.

"It's twenty dollars and fifty-five cents," the cashier told her. Po Kong gave him some money, not caring whether it was the right amount or not, and took her two packets, which were rather bigger than Tohru's.

When she left the cake shop, he was still standing in front of it.

"You're still here?" she asked him.

"I... I am waiting for my _sensei_," he replied. The mountain demon's expression turned a bit gloom. She had better get away from him while she still could.

"Oh, all right, then. I have to go," she said coldly and turned around.

"Wait!" he called and Po Kong looked at him again. "Uhn... I still don't know your name."

"Hmm... It's Keiko," she said the first Japanese name that came to her mind and turned to leave, not waiting for any other word from him.

She went back to that bench in the park, but when she got there, there was a couple and an old man sitting on it. She raised her eyebrows and glanced around. There was no sign of her siblings and the two humans. Even the groceries were gone.

Then, she saw a commotion on the other side of the park. She decided to go and see what was going on, always watching her surroundings and trying to see anyone familiar. When she approached the crowd, she saw it was about an injured boy. She narrowed her eyes as she noted the scratches in his chest. They really resembled the marks that Hsi Wu's claws caused when he scratched something, but she couldn't be sure.

"I have to talk to Uncle! It's an emergency! Yade is in danger!" the boy yelled, trying to dodge the people who were trying to help him. Po Kong frowned and quickly walked away. That boy should be an acquaintance of the Chan's, and now it was obvious to her that Hsi Wu had indeed attacked that human. He was such a fool! How could he expose himself like that?

In any case, now she could guess where her siblings had gone. So, she went back to the hideout.

oOo

They were almost reaching the top of a mountain, in Hong Kong. Chow was the one who was feeling worse with all this, due to his fear of heights. Finn and Ratso were also quite exhausted because of the ascent.

Finn glanced down and noted that Chow was being left behind the group.

"C'mon, Chow! Just don't look down!" he advised and kept climbing. When he got to a flat surface of the mountain where he could stand, he wasn't surprised to see that Mei Liang and Julia were already there waiting.

"What took you so long?" the demon asked in annoyance.

"Hey, we're not demons and we don't have any jewel that gives us powers. We had to climb up in the hardest way," Finn defended himself, while Ratso was just joining them.

"Idiots," Julia muttered.

"Never mind. Follow me, all of you," Mei Liang said, entering a small cave. The two females went in, followed by Finn and Ratso after some hesitation. Chow caught them up some while later.

The entrance was very narrow, but then it was getting larger until leading to a sort of round room, similar to the ones they had been when Shendu released all the demons at once, in Antarctica. In the centre of the room was a hole the size of a large pizza. From a distance, it seemed empty, but when they approached, they could see it contained a liquid whose colour switched regularly between dark blue and purple. Or perhaps it was not a liquid, but a flame. Finn scratched his head; it was actually hard to tell.

"Sit down here," Mei Liang told Julia, pointing at a spot next to the hole. Julia hesitated a bit, but then obeyed her. Mei sat on the other side and faced her, while the enforcers just stood and watched them. "This room used to be a secret temple, but it was abandoned in the ancient times," the demon of the dreams began.

Julia nodded. "And why are we here? How is this place going to help me?" she wanted to know.

"Do you see this?" Mei glanced at the currently blue liquid in the hole. Julia frowned.

"It looks like plasma," the girl murmured.

"It is _chi_. A long time ago, wizards used to come here to purify their souls. They left their... negative chi, their yang here," Mei Liang explained and Julia raised her eyebrows.

"So this is..."

"Pure evil, dark chi. This temple was abandoned because the wizards feared that all this concentrated dark chi might break the balance between Yin and Yang and turn against them."

"Wow, dude...!" Finn remarked, observing the chi in the hole in awe.

"From what I could understand so far, you use the tiger talisman to be able to use the Hun Yu jewel. Do you know _exactly_ how that works?" Mei Liang questioned.

"Yes. Instead of dividing me into two people, the tiger talisman, combined with the jewel, divides my chi. Thus, only my yin is left on me and I become pure," the girl explained as if she had memorised it.

Mei smiled coldly. "There is where you are wrong, _child_. I will tell you exactly what happens. You are right until the part about the tiger talisman dividing your yin from your yang, but have you ever wondered where all that yang is going?"

Julia blinked and shook her head.

"Your yang goes to the jewel itself. That is why the jewel is getting corrupted. Despite your little trick, it just accepts actually pure people." Mei looked at her up and down arrogantly. "And you are far from being pure. You have much hatred in your heart."

The three enforcers glanced at each other, not liking where this was going.

"Do you think it was a mistake to absorb the Hun Yu jewel?" Julia asked, unsure and slightly alarmed.

"Oh, no. No, not at all. On the contrary, it was a good idea," the demon answered evenly. "You just have to know what you are doing so that this won't end up turning into a disaster. As you must know, that jewel is very powerful, and it can destroy you if you don't do something soon."

The four humans' eyes widened.

"Destroy me!" Julia repeated in horror.

"But do not worry, because I will help you," Mei assured.

The enforcers, however, could not contain themselves anymore.

"Oh, yeah? And since when demons like you go around helping people without having ulterior motives?" Finn questioned.

"I bet she's going to betray us as soon as she gets what she wants," Ratso added.

"Don't trust her, Julia. Remember what happened to your father after he got involved with those demons," Chow said.

"My father is an idiot, and so are you!" the girl retorted, angry.

"Then don't follow his example, Julia! Don't join forces with demons! That's a big, big mistake!" Finn said.

"But there's no danger. You see, I just have to purify my soul. Once I place all my negative energy in this hole, I'll be pure and able to use the jewel at will," Julia said, staring at the chi in the hole. The chi began to darken and move more quickly, as if it could sense her anger.

"Ah, wrong again, child," Mei Liang said and everyone looked at her. "Weren't you listening to me? If you add any more dark chi here, it may turn against us."

"So... what am I supposed to do?" Julia asked, getting desperate. Mei Liang gestured at her to calm down.

"You must absorb all this dark chi," she answered simply.

"What?" the enforcers asked in unison.

"But if I do that... the jewel will get corrupted... It can be used only by pure people," Julia said in confusion.

"Precisely," Mei said, pointing at the girl. "People who are purely good... or purely evil."

Julia reflected on it for a while. At last, she stared at the chi in the hole with sudden determination in her eyes, which scared the enforcers.

"Julia, don't listen to her!"

"It's not worth it!"

"It's a trap!"

Julia frowned, indecisive and suspicious.

"If you don't hurry, the jewel will destroy you," Mei Liang reminded her, unpleased at the girl's indecision.

"But I... How am I going to know...? Perhaps that wasn't... What would she say?" Julia murmured, holding her head.

"She's falling apart!" Chow gasped.

"Come on, absorb the dark chi here!" Mei Liang ordered, losing her nerves. "Now! Before it's too late!"

"But... But... I can't..."

The demon of the dreams hissed and leaned forward, holding the girl's head.

"Perhaps you need some persuasion."

Suddenly, Julia's sight darkened and the enforcers' shouts were getting more and more distant. She felt her body heavy, but also had the feeling that she was floating and falling very slowly. She closed her eyes and tried to move, but found out she couldn't do that. Even breathing was rather hard.

When her body landed, she heard sounds of cars and motorcycles far, far away. She opened her eyes and found herself in a long and dark corridor, except for a few lamps that produced a dim light. She heard voices and turned around to see three men coming towards her. One of them should be the boss; he was elegantly dressed and walked ahead of the others, who were simpler and dubious-looking.

"Uh... Who are you?" she asked, but was completely ignored. The men kept coming towards her and she decided to back away to the wall so that they would not bump into her.

Their steps got more distant until she could hear nothing. Julia wasn't sure if she should follow them, but then she heard more voices, and these were very familiar. Finn and Ratso were coming!

She turned to see them and nodded to herself. Her father, Finn, Ratso, Chow and Hak Foo were coming towards her – Valmont in the lead and beside a younger Julia.

The group went past her without paying her any attention, but now Julia knew why. This should be a memory of hers. She vaguely remembered this building and what they were doing here. Her father and other criminals would have a "business" meeting. But what was she doing here, in this memory? Or rather, how had she come here?

She decided to follow the group. Perhaps she could find out what was going on.

In the end of the corridor was a room with a long, rectangular table in the centre and several people who were already seated while others – their respective enforcers – stood next to them, watching their surroundings carefully. As expected, no one noticed when she arrived and wandered around the room. She recognised a few faces and voices, and had a bad feeling. Something terrible was going to happen at any moment now, but she didn't know what.

The meeting started and there was no problem so far. They discussed their criminal business and Julia was beginning to get bored – just like her younger self – when suddenly, a shot was heard and one of the men at the table fell over, his back bleeding. Everyone in the room immediately stood up and looked at the direction where the bullet had come from.

Seemingly, some other criminals did not want competition and thought that the meeting would be a good opportunity to get rid of all their rivals at once. The assaulter group was formed by about fifteen people, and soon a shooting was started – while the people nearer to the door tried to run away.

"Take Julia!" her father ordered Chow and Ratso while he and Finn shot at the enemy group, using the table as a shield. Chow held her and ran after Ratso out of the room. Julia followed them, not feeling like standing in the middle of a shooting – even though she knew that the bullets could not harm her.

Unfortunately, there were more enemies in the corridor and Ratso had to distract them while Chow and some other criminals went through a door to the left. Julia went after them and noted that this door leaded to a new corridor with a lot of closed doors. Chow should have taken her to one of those rooms, but which one?

She tried to remember... Near the door they had entered, there was a puddle on the floor, due to a leak... Julia looked down at the floor, searching for a puddle. Almost in the end, she found it and went though the nearest door. It leaded to a large corridor. Julia ran to its end, where there was a half-open door. She opened it and Chow fell past her. He had been grazed in the right arm by a bullet.

Julia ignored him and left the building just to see the shooter some metres away, aiming at her scared younger self. Before she could do anything, she watched herself screaming and falling to the ground, bleeding. She had been shot in the shoulder, she remembered very well. Her life was not in danger, but it had been close.

The man who had shot her and Chow approached and a companion of his came running from the other side of the path to join him. The two stared at the girl's still body; she seemed to be dead.

"Boss, she was just a little girl... Was it really necessary to...?" the second man asked, uneasy. His boss nodded seriously.

"I recognise her. She's Valmont's daughter... the leader of the Dark Hand. He's been a nuisance to my business for quite a while, so it's good to put an end to his heirs as well."

"You bastard!" Julia shouted, even thought she knew she would not be heard. Then, all of a sudden, someone behind Julia shot the second man in the chest, certainly killing him. The girl turned and could see that it was her father who did it. "Late as usual..." she muttered.

"Drop your gun," Valmont ordered, aiming at the other man.

"M-Mister Valmont... L-Look, I swear I... d-didn't know she was your daughter... T-This idiot just told me after it was too late..." the man babbled, pointing at the fallen enforcer. Valmont just stared at him coldly.

Why didn't he at least glance at her? Or why didn't he just kill that man at once and ran to save her? Wasn't he worried to know if she was even alive? If she were about to die, each second counted, so why didn't he even glance at her?

"Drop your gun," Valmont repeated clearer. The man slowly bent down and put his gun on the ground, then raised his hands. Julia snorted. He was such a coward.

"M-Mister Valmont, please... I can make up for this great misfortune... I-I... I'll pay you whatever you want! J-Just tell me your price..."

Valmont hesitated. Julia felt her blood boiling. Why didn't he finish him at once? Why was he wasting time with that idiot?

"Look at me," she hissed though clenched teeth.

"... y-you can even have my limousine and my summer house in the Caribbean! It's very luxurious, you know!" the man went on with his bargain and Valmont smirked.

"Go to hell," he said and shot the man in the forehead. Julia flinched and looked away, and then decided to just watch her father. He was completely expressionless, his look cold as ice.

"So cold..." she muttered, trembling. "Please, look at me..."

Valmont didn't look at her, though. Finn came out of the building and took a quick glance at the scene before hurrying to examine Julia. Meanwhile, Valmont kept the gun on an inner pocket of his suit and finally looked at Julia.

"How is she?" he asked.

"I think she'll be okay, if we take her to a hospital," Finn answered.

"So what are you waiting for?" Valmont said sharply and turned around to enter the building again while Finn held Julia in his arms and took her to the opposite direction.

Julia was astonished. She had always known that her father was a cold person, but not _that_ much. Was that it? He took a glance at her from a distance, asked if she was all right to the first buffoon who bothered to examine her and then leave while said buffoon took her to a hospital?

She went after her father, wishing she could kill him by just glaring at him.

"Cold..." she muttered in contempt, remembering herself lying on the ground, bleeding. "Cruel..." She remembered the man being hit in the forehead. "Greedy!"

He stopped, and so did she.

"I don't know why my mother liked you."

He took something out of another pocket within his suit. It was a photo of Julia's mother, Sara.

"She didn't deserve you, and nor do I."

He smiled bitterly, then frowned and tore up the photo angrily.

"It's all my fault," he muttered.

"It's all your fault!" she shouted and closed her eyes, trying to hold back tears of hatred. "Because you're so cold, cruel and greedy!"

When she opened her eyes, she was no longer in that building, but lying on the ground of that cave with the dark chi in a hole, holding her head and being intently watched by Mei Liang and her father's enforcers. She sat up, still feeling her heart beating very fast and tears finally falling.

"Why? Why did he do that?" she asked herself, making the enforcers look at her in confusion. Mei Liang, on the other hand, just smiled, pleased.

"He does not love you, and never loved your mother either. He is cold, cruel and greedy, he does not care about you," she whispered maliciously.

"Julia, don't listen to her!" Finn shouted, realising what the demon was trying to do. He approached the girl and held her by her shoulders. "She's just trying to confuse you! She has powers to manipulate your dreams and control your mind!"

"You know that I am just saying the truth, child," Mei Liang said.

Her chest began to hurt, her heart feeling like it was about to explode. The jewel was probably being corrupted and was going to destroy her if she didn't purify her soul any soon.

And she would do that. She would join her mother after getting her revenge; her father would pay dearly for what he had done to the both of them. Afterwards, she could finally bring her mother back. He would not ruin their lives ever again.

She turned to the hole and stretched her hands to it. The chi in it rose, spinning round slowly and being absorbed by her body little by little. The pain in her chest quickly subsided, and she felt like she had just been born again.

She stood up and raised her gaze, smirking evilly. The enforcers stepped back, scared, and Mei Liang smiled triumphantly.

"Now we can perform the spell to release my brothers."

oOo

Uncle stopped in the middle of the pavement and felt cold shivers going down his spine, which almost caused him to drop the sack with some of the ingredients he needed for the locator spell. Something was wrong. He looked around carefully, searching for anything that seemed strange. If he was feeling like this, it was probably because of the demons.

Since there was nothing suspicious where he was, he decided to go ahead. As soon as he turned the corner, he saw his apprentice in front of a cake shop, with some new packets in his hands.

"Tohru!" he called him aloud. The Japanese man turned to see him and smiled. When the two were close to each other, Uncle gloomily said, "Uncle has the willies."

Recognising that reaction, Tohru looked at him in concern.

"What do you think it is, _sensei_?"

"What do you mean? It is obvious that the demons are near us!" Uncle snapped. Tohru flinched and glanced around.

"Do you really think they are here?" he asked in a quiet tone. Before Uncle could answer, their attention was caught by an ambulance that was coming and stopped next to the park on the other side of the street.

Suspicious, Uncle narrowed his eyes and gestured at Tohru to follow him. They quickly crossed the street, without really paying attention to the cars and ignoring the drivers' protests. As soon as they got to the park, Uncle gasped as he heard Paco's voice. The two hurried to a crowd that was surrounding the boy and made their way past the people.

"Please, let me go! I need to talk to Uncle before they escape!" the boy pleaded to the men of the ambulance.

"Sir, please, don't move. You are seriously injured," one of them said, placing a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"Paco!" Uncle called. Everyone turned to the old man with curious looks, while the Mexican boy seemed happy to see him.

"Uncle! The demons were here!" he said. Uncle nodded and knelt down next to him.

"Thought so. Can you tell me where they went?"

"There." Paco pointed and sighed. "But that was some time ago and they must be far away by now. It's too late." He lowered his head and clenched his fists. "They took Yade... again!" he said in frustration. Then, he yelped when Uncle whacked him in the head with two fingers.

"It is never too late! Now Uncle can try to locate the demons in that direction!" Uncle slit his eyes in determination. "We can save Jade. We just need to have patience."

Paco stared at him and nodded.

"Now, you must go to the hospital to take care of that wound," Uncle went on before turning to his apprentice. "Tohru, call Jackie and tell him to meet us at the hospital."

**To be continued...**

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Hee! I'm glad that you liked the last chapter, especially the supermarket scene. .:smiles:. Special thanks to my wonderful reviewers: **Spleef**, **VampireNaomi**, **Brick X**, **Hellblaze**, and **Dragolover1** (This fic is kind of AU and I couldn't fit Drago anywhere, so Shendu's son is someone else in this story).


	29. Passion Night

**Author's note:** Special thanks to **VampireNaomi**, who drew a very cute picture of my favourite JCA pairing that inspired me.

* * *

**– CHAPTER 29 –  
**

**_Passion Night_**

"Uncle?"

The old man opened his eyes and raised his head with a start. However, as he saw it was just Jackie and the others in front of him, he frowned in annoyance and leaned back on his chair.

"What is it?" he asked grumpily. His nephew raised his eyebrows in disbelief, as did the others.

"'What is it!' I'm the one who should ask that! You called us here, so we all came!" Jackie replied, confused.

"Never mind him. He's just cranky because you woke him up," Viper whispered in his ear. Even so, Uncle heard her and glared at the couple.

"Uncle was not sleeping! Was just thinking!" he retorted.

"Then why were you snoring, _sensei_?" Tohru, who was sitting next to him, asked and regretted immediately when Uncle whacked him in the head with two fingers.

"Do not question Uncle!"

"Yes, _sensei_..." Tohru murmured. Jack tried to suppress a laugh and was discreetly scolded by his father.

"In any case, Uncle... why did you call us here?" Jackie wanted to know. Uncle relaxed a bit and nodded.

"Paco was attacked by one of the demons this afternoon. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, he had already gone away."

"And how is Paco? Is he all right?" El Toro asked in concern.

"El Toro!" someone called coming from the corridor and everyone turned to see the Mexican boy apparently unharmed.

"Yeah, I think so," Viper said. Paco approached and took a glance at each one of the group.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in surprise.

"Uncle told us you wer—" Jackie started, but was interrupted when El Toro rushed past him, accidentally pushing him, and gently held the boy by his shoulders.

"Paco! What happened? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, it was just some scratches," Paco answered, smiling lightly and touching his chest where he had been wounded. He then turned to Uncle with a serious expression. "Now we know in what direction is the demons' hideout! Let's look for them and save Yade!"

To everyone's surprise, Uncle didn't snap at him or even seemed angry, but looked at the boy with anxiety in his eyes. The others were taken aback to see him like that. However, his expression soon changed into one of determination.

"How many times must I repeat myself? Jade is fine! She can take care of herself! I would not be surprised if she were already in the shop, waiting for us," he replied.

"As matter of fact, that's probably what she's doing," Viper murmured, getting a disapproving look from Jackie.

"But the demons... You saw what they did to me!" Paco tried, but Uncle shook his head and stood up. Then, he turned to leave, ignoring him.

"Come with me," he said to everyone.

After glancing at each other and shrugging, Jackie, Viper, Tohru, and El Toro went after him. Paco sighed in exasperation and began following them, but stopped when he felt somebody pulling his sleeve and looked down at Jack.

"I, too, think we should save Jade," he said, probably just trying to make him feel better. Paco barely managed to force a smile. So the only one who agreed with him was a ten-year-old boy? That was just great... After taking a glance at the rest of the group, Jack said in a conspiratorial tone, "But I think we should do as Uncle says. I think he has a plan, you know."

"Yeah, sure. And his plan is to hunt a demon who may be on the other side of the world while there're other eight in this city with Jade as their hostage," the Mexican boy said bitterly.

"He must have a good reason for that," Jack guessed. The two noticed that the others were rather far from them now and began to walk towards them.

"Maybe..." Paco muttered, though his tone of voice suggested that he didn't believe that. Jack, on the other hand, looked very calm.

"Besides," he said, smiling evenly, "if we don't obey Uncle, he may get grumpy again and whack you in the head."

oOo

The sun was setting in San Francisco, and the atmosphere in the demons' hideout was not so peaceful. Bai Tsa, Hsi Wu, and Po Kong seemed irritated by something, but refused to answer when their other brothers asked about it. Valmont, on the other hand, was very pleased, smirking every time he and Bai Tsa looked at each other. On those occasions, the water demon would just glare at him for a while and then abruptly look away.

Fortunately, Tchang Zu summoned his siblings to a meeting, which would relieve the tension between the humans and the demons. They made it clear that Jade and Valmont should not interfere if they knew what was good for them. Valmont was a bit disappointed because he would not be able to keep provoking Bai Tsa, while Jade relaxed, since Hsi Wu was not with her anymore. She even thought of enjoying her free time, now that the sky demon was not watching her, but her curiosity, as usual, was stronger and she found herself wondering what the demons were discussing in that meeting.

Silently, she tiptoed to the door that leaded to the dining room, where the demons were having their meeting and eating. Carefully not to make any noise, she opened the door just a few centimetres and knelt down. She could see some of the demons and hear Po Kong devouring the food on the table while the others talked in a serious tone.

"And you, Tso Lan? Have you located her yet?" Tchang Zu asked.

"The spell is not yet precise enough, but it already indicates she is somewhere in Hong Kong," the moon demon answered.

At that moment, Jade almost let out a yelp when she felt someone approaching behind her. However, she sighed in relief as she saw it was just Valmont coming to listen to their conversation as well.

"How much time do we have?" Shendu wanted to know.

"I am not sure. Once she can exert some control over the Hun Yu jewel, directly or indirectly, we will have from one to three days. She still has to locate her brothers' portals, and releasing them takes time. After all, the magic that imprisons them is still very strong."

"And what if she cannot exert any control? What if that little girl kills herself with the power of the jewel?" Bai Tsa questioned, and Jade could see how Valmont tensed as he heard that.

"The chances that anything like that will happen are almost none. I know Mei Liang and the way she acts. She will most likely use her powers to manipulate the girl's dreams and bring some bad memories in order to awake the hatred within her. The jewel will be completely corrupted and the girl will be consumed with her own hatred."

"Do you really think so?" Dai Gui asked, sceptical.

"Perhaps not," Xiao Fung said, nodding in agreement with Dai Gui and frowning in confusion. "Deep inside, she is just a human child. Whom could she hate that much?"

"Valmont," Shendu answered. Jade frowned and turned when Valmont moved away from the door and leaned against the wall, sighing heavily.

"Exactly. And even though it is not actual hatred, perhaps just momentary rage or a sorrow, Mei Liang can easily transform that into pure hatred. I think we all remember the last time she used that very same tactic," Tso Lan continued. The others groaned in agreement.

"So we have to banish her first and then get rid of the girl. Firstly, we have already decided that Mei Liang will be sent back to the Realm of Eternal Suffering," Tchang Zu said.

"Which means we need someone to sacrifice. Someone who has some sort of sentimental value to any of us, even if very little, and is willing to be the sacrifice," Tso Lan complemented.

There was a sepulchral silence in the dining room and Jade held her breath, anxiously waiting for an answer.

"I have a suggestion," Bai Tsa finally spoke up. Valmont paid attention to their talking again and Jade's eyes widened a little.

"What is it, Bai Tsa?" Tso Lan asked softly.

"I think Shendu should be sacrificed," she said fair and square and Jade heard the sound of cutlery falling on a plate.

"Me! And why does it have to be me?" the fire demon questioned in indignation.

"You are to blame for all this mess! It was you who took that little girl to the Hun Yu jewel, it was you who gave her the tiger talisman, and it was you who assured us that she was on our side!" Bai Tsa accused.

"I didn't expect Mei Liang would return! My intention was to do exactly what she is doing now and use the girl to control the jewel!" Shendu retorted.

"In any case, Bai Tsa, it is useless to try to force him. The spell will only work if he is willing," Tso Lan said.

There was another long moment of silence.

"I bet that Chan girl would be willing to sacrifice herself to save the world," Xiao Fung suggested.

Jade paled, but Hsi Wu quickly replied, "She doesn't mean anything to us. Not to me, that's for sure, nor to any of you, I believe. It is useless to sacrifice her."

"And before anyone suggests the other human with us, he won't do, either. He wouldn't be willing to sacrifice himself for the world's sake to begin with," Bai Tsa said coldly.

"Tell me about it," Shendu remarked sarcastically.

"This won't do! There must be somebody we could use!" Tchang Zu complained impatiently.

"Perhaps we should just leave that for the Chans. They will certainly think of the same spell if no one else does and won't hesitate to sacrifice themselves," Dai Gui said.

"Then let us just eat!" Po Kong proposed with her mouth full.

The humans moved away from the door and stared at the floor, each one with their own concerns about the whole situation. Suddenly, the door was opened and they turned around in guard. Hsi Wu looked between Valmont and Jade in suspicion.

"Were you listening to our conversation?" he asked. The two humans shook their heads vigorously and the sky demon sighed. "Jade, why have you been having the bad habit of lying to me? I think we need to talk up there," he said, nodding at the stairs. Valmont looked oddly at them and raised an eyebrow when noticing Hsi Wu's mischievous smile.

The sky demon approached Jade and pushed her not so gently towards the stairs. "Come on," he said and then turned to Valmont. "And you had better get out of here before my siblings see you. Some of them are not so tolerant to spying," he warned before going upstairs after Jade.

Valmont ignored Hsi Wu's advice and waited by the door. The first one to come out was Tchang Zu, who luckily just glanced at him as if he were a cockroach and went away. Dai Gui came right after him, growling at Valmont when he saw him, but did nothing more and kept following Tchang Zu.

At last, Bai Tsa left the dining room. The water demon narrowed her eyes and hissed when she saw Valmont.

"What do you want?" she asked sharply.

"You'd better not harm my daughter!" he whispered, glaring daggers at her.

"Who do you think you are to talk to me like that? I do as I please, and I shall not let a pitiful human such as yourself threaten me," she relied in a dangerous tone and began to wrap Valmont in her tentacles. However, as soon as he saw them approaching, he retreated and looked momentarily afraid. Bai Tsa smirked. "Scared?"

Valmont snorted, his expression turning cold again.

"Why would I be scared of you?" he snapped with contempt in his voice. Bai Tsa couldn't help but laugh. Of course, she though in amusement. He would die before admitting he was afraid of her. While arrogant men were loathsome, the proud ones were always a great entertainment.

"Pity. You are so adorable when you are scared. You look so... delightfully helpless," she said softly. Valmont's face contorted in repugnance and indignation, and he was about to reply when Shendu called Bai Tsa from behind her and the water demon turned around.

"If you are done declaring yourself to that pathetic human, could you please get out of our way? You are blocking the door," the dragon said sardonically and only then Bai Tsa realised where she was standing. Glaring daggers at Shendu, she retreated so that he, Tso Lan, and Xiao Fung could come out of the dining room.

"Honestly..." Tso Lan said, giving his sister a stern look.

"Are you sure we can't use him as the sacrifice?" Xiao Fung asked, making Bai Tsa blush slightly.

"Whatever are you talking about?" Bai Tsa asked, giving them a cynical smile. "I was just teasing him to have some fun."

"I don't know, Bai Tsa... I mean, that's what you always say, and it is the truth only half the times," Xiao Fung pointed out. Bai Tsa shook her head in irritation and turned to Valmont again. However, the man was no longer there.

"Where did he...?"

"He's long gone, Bai Tsa. He went upstairs," Po Kong answered, winking suggestively at her. Shendu looked disgusted at his sisters and went away, muttering something about bad taste.

oOo

Jade threw herself onto her new bed while Hsi Wu closed the door and turned to look at her. The girl leaned on her elbows to raise her head and face him back as he sat beside her.

"Did you hear _everything_?" he asked. Jade hesitated a bit before nodding.

"There's one thing I wanted to ask," she said. "Are you going to banish Julia too?"

"If she keeps causing problems, yes," Hsi Wu answered. Jade lowered her head, thoughtful and melancholic.

"And is it true what you told them? I mean absolutely nothing to you?" she wanted to know.

Hsi Wu was silent for a long moment before quietly replying, "I lied to them, Jade. I just don't understand why you rebelled against me this afternoon back in the park," he said. Jade looked at him again.

"I didn't rebel against you, I just didn't want you to harm Paco," she protested. When hearing the Mexican boy's name, Hsi Wu's eye twitched.

"Who is that human, anyway?"

"I've told you, he's a friend!"

"Friends don't sit in the park hand in hand."

Jade blushed and looked away. "It's not like we were on a date or anything, he was just very worried about me. He thinks you're torturing me and stuff," she murmured.

Hsi Wu stood up and turned his back to her, crossing his arms. "Even if I believe that and forgive you this time, I have been wondering. What will you do when our families fight again? Will you stay on their side or on mine?"

"Do we really have to fight?" she asked, frowning. Hsi Wu stared at her and hissed angrily.

"What kind of stupid question is that? Do you think your family will accept that the demons rule the world again?"

"Do you think _I_ will accept it?" she questioned, standing up as well. "What makes you think I am on the demons' side? I want them all to be banished into some parallel dimension and never again come out!" she paused and approached him with a softer expression. "Except for you, of course."

"Why only me?" he asked sharply.

"Because you're... different. You're more... tolerant to humans, smarter than the other demons, and not bloodthirsty," she answered, smiling spontaneously at the last sentence. Hsi Wu snorted and shook his head.

"You are cherishing fond hopes, Jade. I may be as cruel as any of my siblings. Do you think I am better because I like a human? Some of my siblings used to treat their lovers very well. Each one has their own way. My sister Bai Tsa tried to be gentler just because she hated to be compared to Tchang Zu, Dai Gui or Shendu. Xiao Fung used to disguise himself as a human all the time and have fun among the mortals. Tso Lan never really appreciated bloody deaths, he said they were too barbarous."

Jade blinked in amazement. "I had no idea they thought like that..." she admitted, but then was serious once more. "Yet, you all have a problem, something in common. You're obsessed with becoming the rulers of the world again. Why is that? Isn't it possible to just live with the mortals and enjoy the world's beauty in peace? Not even to you, not-so-violent demons?"

"Why would we lower ourselves to the mortals' level?" he asked coldly.

"Forget about your siblings, then, let's talk only about you. You're the sky demon. When Shendu changed the History, I saw what your palace was like. I bet you didn't even stayed there for too long, but liked to fly around. As long as you have your freedom, you're happy, aren't you? Am I right?"

Hsi Wu looked away and considered those words for a while, then took a deep breath and nodded. "You are right, Jade. Being on my element is what brings me happiness. But I cannot betray my family."

"Right, and I can't betray mine, so we're back to square one," Jade concluded in an ironic tone. Hsi Wu smirked and approached her.

"How about leaving this dilemma for later?" he proposed, brushing her hair with his fingers. Jade smirked back and lay down on the bed.

"Sounds good to me."

He lay on top of her and they kissed each other. "After all, this may be the last time," he whispered, making her chuckle.

"Yeah, maybe... but I hope not."

"Oh, and don't forget it; from the moment we leave this room on, we have to treat each other as coldly as possible, unless you are willing to die for the sake of humanity."

"I don't know about that... but just in case, yes, I hate you."

"I hate you too," he said before kissing her again.

oOo

Valmont opened the wine bottle that he had been keeping for a while in this house and filled a glass. He then sat down on his bed, leaned back on the pillows, careful not to spill the wine, and drank while staring at nothing and thinking. Was it true what Shendu had said? Did Julia really hate her own father that much? Well, he admitted he was not exactly the best father in the world, but...

"I should have never returned to San Francisco," he sighed, closing his eyes tiredly. It was like a curse; ever since he met Shendu, everything in his life began to go wrong, and every time he set his foot in San Francisco, terrible things happened.

The sound of the door being opened woke Valmont from his thoughts. He slowly opened his eyes and looked disinterestedly at the door, not at all surprised to see the water demon standing by it. At this point, he had already realised she would never leave him alone. But he didn't care now; he was too tired and depressed for that.

The mermaid smirked, which made him frown, and entered the room, taking her true form. He relaxed a bit, glad with her transformation. She was easier to look at in that form; she was a very beautiful woman, unlike her demonic form. She looked harmless, and her voice was also softer, like a real mermaid's voice was supposed to be.

"Is that wine?" she asked, sitting on the bed, next to him. Without waiting for an answer, she stretched her arm to grab the glass. Her cold and delicate hand touched Valmont's and she took the glass to drink some wine. "I love wine," she said more to herself than to him, smiling pleased.

"What do you want now?" Valmont asked coldly. She took another sip, watching a random point between the wall and the ceiling, and shrugged.

"Nothing, I just came to see you. Perhaps now I can remember..." she answered absently.

"Remember what?"

"Nothing." She drank a bit more and returned him the glass almost empty. Valmont refilled it and was rather surprised to see Bai Tsa staring oddly at him. "You look horrible."

"Thank you. You are very charming as well," he replied sarcastically and she rolled her eyes.

"You know I mean you do not look so well. Is something wrong?"

Valmont's eye twitched and he tried hard not to answer. Something wrong? Nah, just imagine it! He was the demons' prisoner, his daughter was possessed by an evil jewel and now hated him, the demons were wasting all his money, but it was all right, really. Valmont said nothing, just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"If it is because of your daughter again, I have already told you to forget it. There is no other way, we will have to kill her," Bai Tsa said.

"Not if I can stop you," he muttered. The water demon sighed in exasperation, closing her eyes for a moment.

"You humans are hopeless! I don't understand! She hates you! How can you not hate her for that?"

"Of course you don't understand. You are a demon, and you don't have children..."

Bai Tsa smirked. "Actually, I've had many children. In fact, I think I still have three daughters. Perhaps I will even take you to meet them someday."

"You _think_ you have daughters?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah, it has been so long since we last saw each other or even talked. They lived isolated from the world..." Bai Tsa lay on her stomach beside Valmont. "I never really cared about any of my children... Probably because most of them were... uhn... accidents."

"I see," Valmont murmured, disinterested. He just kept drinking, and there was a long moment of silence, until he noticed that the mermaid was still watching him intently. "What?" he asked annoyed.

The water demon looked startled and blinked. "Huh?"

"Why are you staring at me?"

Bai Tsa smiled in thought. "You remind me of someone," she answered. After a pause, her expression became very serious. "Someone I met a long time ago... But I cannot remember very well..."

"If you can't remember, it mustn't be anyone important," he commented. Was he really having a civilised conversation with the water demon? Perhaps he had drunk too much already... Sighing inwardly, he placed the glass on the bedside table. Then, to his surprise, he felt Bai Tsa slowly removing the band in his hair and untying his ponytail. "What are you doing?" he asked, tensing.

Bai Tsa hissed at him to be quiet and brushed Valmont's hair with her slender fingers, and then made him turn around so that she could look at him in the eyes. The both of them stared at each other for long moments. Suddenly, Bai Tsa's expression brightened and she seemed to have remembered, but then frowned and shook her head, lying down again.

"I can't..." she murmured to herself in frustration.

Without noticing, Valmont filled another glass. "I'm telling, it's no one important."

"But it must be! I am a demon; I have lived for many centuries. I spare my memory for important things, but some of them happened so long ago that..." She stopped suddenly and stared at the ceiling, as if she were in a trance. Then, she closed her eyes slowly. "Oh, I almost remembered..."

"Oh, well. Pity," Valmont said sarcastically while placing the glass on the bedside table again. He was tired of this and was feeling exceptionally uneasy next to the water demon. Bai Tsa hadn't even threatened him yet! That did not bode well. After a quick glance at the mermaid, he started to stand up to leave. However, he barely moved and felt the demon's cold hand grabbing him by the wrist.

"Where do you think you are going?" she asked sharply.

"It is none of your business," he answered in the same tone of voice and tried to break free, but with no success. Bai Tsa was much stronger than him, even in her human form.

"You are going nowhere, human. We still have some matters to discuss," she hissed, pulling him back onto the bed so violently that it made him lose his balance. Valmont raised his head to face her and noted that her expression had become cold and cruel again. She smirked and leaned forward. "I have been thinking about what you said to me back in the park."

Valmont paled slightly, but kept his cold façade.

"And I realised you had a point. It is pathetic that I, a demon sorceress, would want a slave just to think that I still rule something. In fact, that is something my younger brothers would do, not me. Then, I figured out you could be useful for other things." The malice in Bai Tsa's eyes increased and she began to brush his hair again. He gulped, not getting her point. Or rather, he had a pretty good idea, but he really hoped he was wrong.

Bai Tsa chuckled, probably noting his growing discomfort – and loving it.

"And I think you will do very well for the use I have in mind right now," she whispered. Valmont frowned and abruptly turned away to leave, but Bai Tsa grabbed him by the shoulders and kept him sitting on the bed. "And you are not going anywhere until I am satisfied."

"Leave me alone!" he shouted, trying to stand up. She stopped him again and slipped her hands onto his chest. Valmont tensed and felt as if he were burning when she held him and leaned her head on his.

"What is the matter? You look nervous. Is it because I am too close? Funny, you weren't like that when you taught me to play violin," Bai Tsa whispered in his ear, sending cold shivers down his spine.

He frowned, irritated. "Don't you think the situation now is a bit different?" he asked through clenched teeth. Then, he yelped in surprise when Bai Tsa pushed him onto the bed.

"Will you do it, or do I have to enchant you?"

"Don't you _dare_ do that!"

Bai Tsa laughed and leaned over him.

"Get off me at once!" Valmont demanded, struggling. Before she could react, he reached for the wine bottle and used it to hit her. Bai Tsa yelped and retreated, flinching when pieces of glass cut her skin. Valmont took the chance to escape, but the demon's cuts healed almost immediately and she stopped him by punching him in the face, making him lie down yet again.

"Why, you—" she hissed angry, preparing to hit him again, but then relaxed and sighed. "You really drive me up the wall sometimes." She observed him for a while, thoughtful. "Tell me, what is your name?"

Valmont stared at her in disbelief. What was she thinking now?

"What do you mean? You know my name!"

Bai Tsa sniggered. "_Valmont_," she said slowly and in scorn. Valmont flinched; it was the first time she said his name. "A very strange name, if you ask me. That is your first name?" She smirked and shook her head. "I don't think so."

Valmont sighed. Why was she insisting on this subject, anyway?

"You are right, it is not my first name," he admitted unenthusiastically.

For a long while they were silent, and Bai Tsa looked at him as if expecting he would say something else. Perhaps she thought that he would tell her his first name, but he had no intention to do so. His name was none of her business, and besides, he hated it.

Suddenly, Bai Tsa reached out to Valmont, which caused him to flinch. She stopped and he mentally cursed himself for demonstrating his fear.

"Relax," Bai Tsa said with a cynical smile, making Valmont frown crossly. "Now... where were we? Oh, yes."

The mermaid began to force him to lie down, but Valmont grabbed her wrists and pushed her back. Irritated by his insolence, she tried again, harder. The crime lord didn't give in and shoved her one more time. The two kept fighting until Valmont lost his balance and fell from the bed, taking Bai Tsa with him.

Besides the pain in his back and his head, he felt a weight on him, and he opened his eyes to see that Bai Tsa had fallen on top of him. At least she had stopped fighting and was calm now, although her lips were still forming a smirk. Valmont felt suddenly hot as he faced her so closely, her body pressed against his. She was really beautiful in her human form, and he just realised he loved her sardonic smile; it was so similar to his own. In fact, now that he thought about it, they were alike in many aspects. If only she weren't a demon...

He felt a warm breath on his face and only then noticed how close their faces were now. He felt hypnotised by those blue eyes, which wasn't impossible, as she was, after all, a sorceress. But that didn't matter; he just knew that a force which surpassed his common sense was attracting him towards her. Barely realising what he was doing, Valmont held Bai Tsa's shoulders and slowly slipped his hands to her back while they both closed their eyes. Part of him thought he shouldn't be doing this, but he just didn't care.

Then, when he knew his lips were almost touching hers, he heard the door of the room burst open and one of Bai Tsa's brothers shout, startling the both of them, "Bai Tsa, Tso Lan is—" Xiao Fung stopped mid-sentence and gasped, his eyes widening. "What in the Netherworld...?"

Bai Tsa jumped off Valmont, blushing as much as him. "What are you doing here!" she demanded of him.

"You should have locked the door!" the wind demon complained.

"We weren't doing anything like that!" his sister protested.

"This is the second time!" He sighed and waved his hand dismissively. "You know what? I don't even want to know what excuse you will come up with this time. I would even go away and leave you two alone so that you could have a nice night, but Tso Lan said we must have another meeting now. I think it has something to do with the spell to locate Mei Liang."

Bai Tsa breathed hard and pushed past Xiao Fung, who didn't seem to mind and followed her out of the room. Valmont got up and tried to recompose himself, doing his best to straighten his tie and his suit. He didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed for the wind demon having appeared just at that moment. He should probably be happy for getting rid of Bai Tsa, but now he just felt frustrated.

Shaking his head to get those thoughts out of his mind, he left the room and went after the two demons until they stopped in front of a door, which leaded to one of the guestrooms. Xiao Fung tried to open the door, but to no avail.

"You see? At least Hsi Wu locks his door," he said, smirking suggestively at Bai Tsa, who just snorted, crossed her arms and turned her head away. Her eyes met Valmont's and they quickly looked away in embarrassment.

oOo

Knocks on the door made Hsi Wu abruptly raise his head and move away from Jade, who sighed in irritation. Couldn't they even have a moment alone in this house?

"What is it?" Hsi Wu asked, annoyed.

"I hate ruining your night as well, brother, but Tso Lan said it is meeting time!" Xiao Fung answered from the other side of the door. Hsi Wu closed his eyes for an instant and leapt from the bed.

"Do you really have to go now?" Jade asked, leaning on her elbows.

"Yes. Even if it is not important, brother Tso hates being ignored. I must go and see what he wants," the sky demon explained, taking his true form and then grabbing Jade's clothes. "Quickly. Get dressed."

"Maybe he found Mei Liang and Julia," the girl guessed, taking her clothes and absently putting them on.

"Maybe..."

"Hsi Wu!" Xiao Fung called impatiently. When Jade was done dressing, the sky demon opened the door and saw that Bai Tsa and Valmont had been waiting for him as well. "And I still cannot find Po Kong anywhere," Xiao remarked, walking to the next room.

While trying to brush her hair, Jade noted Valmont standing close to Bai Tsa and frowned; there was something different about him. It took her a while to realise what it was.

"Valmont, you let your hair down!" she stated, smiling slightly.

"So what?" the Brit asked, scowling.

Jade shrugged. "Nothing, it's just that I'd never seen you like that. I think it's cool," she commented. Bai Tsa glared at her so angrily that the girl winced and stepped back, while Valmont seemed suddenly very interested in the wallpaper of the corridor.

"Where _is_ Po Kong?" Xiao Fung asked, opening all the doors in that corridor.

"She must be in the kitchen, as usual," Bai Tsa replied.

"The kitchen was the first place where I looked for her. I've searched the whole house already!"

"Ah, she must have gone out. You know she hates enclosed places," Hsi Wu said, unworried.

"But what about the meeting!"

"Never mind, Xiao," Bai Tsa, grabbing Valmont's wrist so tightly that he yelped and dragging him to the sitting room. The others went after her and were greeted by Tso Lan, Tchang Zu, Dai Gui and Shendu.

"I couldn't find Po Kong," Xiao Fung told them.

Tso Lan sighed. "She must have gone out. Shendu, go look for her," he ordered. The dragon's eyes widened.

"_What_? Why me!" he asked, irritated.

"Because I told you so."

"Go now, Shendu," Tchang Zu growled. The fire demon's eyes glowed red and he hissed angry, but nodded and obeyed. As soon as he left the house, Tso Lan turned back to the others.

"I have summoned you because we are about to discover the exact location of Mei Liang and the Hun Yu jewel," he explained briefly and when his gaze fell upon Valmont, he said, "You, human," he called, pointing at him. "I want you to get us one of those 'airplains'."

"Ehr... that's 'airplanes'," Jade corrected, suppressing a laugh. Tso Lan glared at her and Hsi Wu elbowed her in the ribs. "Uhn... sorry," she mumbled.

"What is that for?" Dai Gui wanted to know.

"We do not have much time and I intend to get to Mei Liang tonight. I suggest that you prepare yourselves, for this fight may be even harder than the previous, now that the Hun Yu is involved," Tso Lan said calmly. Everyone else exchanged serious glances. The moon demon clasped each pair of hands and closed his eyes. "Let us begin."

**To be continued...**

* * *

Many, many thanks to my reviewers: **VampireNaomi**, **Hellblaze**, **Spleef**, **tayla83**, and **Senda san**.


	30. The Final Battle

– **CHAPTER 30 –  
**

_**The Final Battle**_

Po Kong knew she shouldn't have left their hideout at such a critical moment, but she couldn't help herself. She was the mountain demon; she hated enclosed spaces as much as Hsi Wu did. Humans' houses, even the bigger ones, were not large enough for Po Kong, which forced her to stay in her human form or shrink. Either way, it was very uncomfortable.

Besides, she couldn't stand being around her siblings anymore. Not that she didn't enjoy their company once in a while, but they had been confined to that house for days, maybe weeks. Now that she thought about that, Po Kong realised she had lost the notion of time. How long had it been since they left the Netherworld? She had no idea. Suddenly, she felt empty, depressed, as if something were missing in her life.

Therefore, she had decided to relax a bit and go out for a walk in the city. However, after finding herself in front of the first restaurant, she quickly changed her mind and concluded that a nice dinner was just what she needed. After the first five courses, she felt much better, hardly noticing that being in her human form and in an enclosed space wasn't bothering her at all at the moment.

She hadn't brought money. After the supermarket incident, every time Po Kong mentioned she needed more than three hundred dollars—whatever that meant—, Bai Tsa's human looked like he was going to have a nervous breakdown. Knowing how possessive her younger sister was, the mountain demon thought the best was to leave him alone before he went really mad. Money had no importance to her, anyway. Bai Tsa was the one who worried too much about such trivial things. As long as Po Kong didn't do anything foolish that would attract the humans' attention, as Hsi Wu had done, there was no danger, especially because the Chan family should be busy trying to locate Mei Liang.

"Aiya! Uncle forgot to buy garlic!" came the old Chan's voice, making Po Kong start and choke on the juice she had been drinking.

"Do you need garlic for the locator spell, Uncle?" the young Chan asked while Po Kong coughed uncontrollably.

"No," the old man answered calmly. "It's just that garlic is gooooood for digestion."

"Of course it is, Uncle," Jackie sighed.

At that moment, the group was going past the restaurant and Tohru, having his attention attracted by Po Kong, took a curious look at the mountain demon. When she finally recovered, she tried to look busy and hide part of her face so that he would not recognise her, but it was too late.

"I could buy the garlic now, _sensei_," the Japanese man offered. Uncle pondered for some seconds.

"All right, but you must hurry."

Po Kong cursed rather aloud, making the gentleman at the next table look at her oddly. From the corner of her eye, she saw the group go away while Tohru, as she had expected, entered the restaurant and headed towards her table.

"Er... Hello, Keiko-san," he greeted her, smiling shyly. Po Kong had to suppress a laugh and only raised her head when she was sure her expression was serious enough.

"Oh, it's you," she said. Tohru moved uncomfortably.

"Uh... What a coincidence to meet you here... Um... er... Do you mind if I... ah... join you?"

This time, Po Kong couldn't help herself and chuckled. She had forgotten how amusing humans could be. Tohru stared at her, confused and unsure.

"No, I do not," she answered, trying to go back to her cold composure.

The Japanese man smiled happily and clumsily sat down, knocking over the glass with juice. Luckily, it was almost empty and the juice wasn't spilled.

"Oops... Hehe, I am sorry..." Tohru murmured, placing the glass back. "So, do you—" He stopped, gaping slightly, when the waiter brought more three plates full of food and the mountain demon began to eat it rabidly.

"You want some?" she offered, her mouth full. Tohru blinked and opened his mouth to answer, but before he could say anything, Po Kong swallowed all at once and shouted to the waiter, "Hey, waiter! More food to my friend here!"

"I, ah— " Tohru stuttered, but the demon interrupted him once more, beginning to eat again.

"The food here is excellent," she commented.

"Uh, yes, indeed," he replied. "I come here often. My _sensei_ also likes this restaurant very much."

"Oh, really?" Interesting. Po Kong would have to remember that later, perhaps to plan another ambush or something of the sort. In fact, now that she thought of it, it could be an excellent idea to make this human talk more about the Chan clan. She might even find out their weaknesses. "You had already mentioned this master of yours before. What does he teach you, anyway?"

"He... ah..." Tohru hesitated. Only then did she remember that most humans nowadays did not believe in magic. The human in front of her probably wouldn't tell just anyone that he studied magic.

"Spells?" she suggested, amused to see the colour draining off Tohru's face.

"W-what...? H-how did you...?" he stuttered.

"I heard him shouting that he needed garlic. A young man with him asked if it was for a spell," she explained. Tohru blushed and tried to say something. "I find it fascinating."

Tohru's eyes widened and he stared at her in disbelief. "R-really?"

Po Kong nodded and, this time, swallowed her food before speaking. "When I lived in China, I had a boyfriend who was a wizard," she told him. It wasn't even a lie; she had had many lovers who were wizards, all of them with the same tragic end: devoured by her. Remembering that made her smirk. Ah, the good, old times...

"I did not know that. You don't... well..." He stopped when Po Kong looked at him coldly. "do not look like the type..."

She leaned forward. "Well, looks can be deceiving," she said, narrowing her eyes and smiling slyly.

"I think you are right," he admitted, feeling more at ease when the waiter brought him his food. "Since you like magic so much, you could visit us at Uncle's shop someday. I am sure he would be pleased to meet you."

_Not quite_, Po Kong thought, just imagining the old man casting a spell that would send her back to the Netherworld. Those unpleasant thoughts were quickly put aside when she began to watch him eating. He was either really nervous or very hungry, for he ate almost as fast as she did. And with pleasure as well.

"You like to eat, do you?" she asked softly. Tohru smiled sheepishly and nodded.

"Very much."

"Do you like to cook too?"

"Oh, yes, I love cooking. I am the one who makes the meals at the shop."

"Really? You must be good at that."

"Yes. I mean, that is what everyone there says. Although sometimes_ sensei_ complains when I forget the garlic—" He stopped abruptly and slapped his forehead. "The garlic! I forgot! I am sorry, but I must hurry now. Perhaps some other day we could... um, you know... go out for... dinner... or something?" he asked, blushing.

"Are you asking me out? As in a... date?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, of course not... Well, yes... I mean..."

Po Kong stared at him. It was so pathetic! Then again, if she spent more time with him, perhaps she would get more useful information about the Chan family.

"Well, why not?" she replied, shrugging.

"So you accept it?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes, yes, whatever."

Tohru grinned and took something out of his pocket. Po Kong noted that it was an object similar to the one where Valmont had kept his money, only this one was older and clearly inferior in quality.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

"I will pay for our dinner. Ah... how much is it again?" The human called the waiter and asked for the check. When he saw the price he should pay, he frowned and gulped, but did not change his mind. Po Kong watched him curiously. This human was so naïve and generous! It would be ridiculously easy to get him to trust her.

"Thank you for paying. Can you believe I forgot to bring money?"

"Really?" He smiled. "I am glad I could help."

He emptied his wallet and gave all the money to the waiter, then asked him to put the rest in his bill. Seemingly, they knew each other. Of course, Po Kong thought. After all, he had just told her the Chans frequented this restaurant.

Tohru stood up and bowed slightly. "Well, then... until... um..."

"Until next week, here, at seven," Po Kong completed. Tohru laughed nervously and waved her goodbye before leaving the restaurant.

_Humans... They never change!_ she thought, chuckling again.

The next instant, someone hit her table with a clenched fist, making her flinch. She raised her eyes and saw Shendu's human form glaring at her. The mountain demon's expression immediately changed to one of extreme aversion.

"What do you want, Shendu?"

"What in the Netherworld were you doing with that human?" the fire demon hissed.

"That is none of your business!" she retorted, standing up and leaving the restaurant.

Shendu followed her. "It is, when you are _fraternising with the enemy_!

"Don't be ridiculous, Shendu! I was not doing that!"

"Oh, really?" He sneered. "What were you doing, then?"

Po Kong glanced around quickly and whispered in a conspiratorial tone, "Starting an espionage mission." She laughed evilly and Shendu wrinkled his nose.

"You have been watching too many movies with Xiao Fung and Hsi Wu, haven't you?"

Po Kong stopped laughing and looked at him in confusion. "What is a... 'movie'?"

He rolled his eyes. "Never mind."

She shrugged. "As I was saying, I had a wonderful idea! I will get close to that pathetic human and make him trust me. Thus, I will be able to find out the weaknesses of the Chan clan and we will have more chances to defeat them!"

Shendu frowned. "If Mei Liang doesn't kill us first, you mean. By the way, do you realise how stupid was the idea of leaving the hideout just when Tso Lan finally located Mei Liang?"

"_That_ is none of your business, either," she said coldly. Shendu narrowed his eyes and eyed her in distrust. After a while walking in silence, Po Kong asked, "So he finally located her?"

"Yes, that is what I just told you," the dragon answered through clenched teeth.

Ignoring her little brother's irritation, the mountain demon wondered if the Chans had already found Mei Liang as well.

oOo

"Hatcha!" Uncle shouted, attracting the attention of everyone in the shop. Tohru, who was just arriving, rushed to him. "Uncle has located the demon of dreams!"

"And where is she, Uncle?" Jackie asked, uneasy.

"In Hong Kong, right here," the old man said, indicating the exact location on the map. Jackie and Tohru frowned, recognising the place.

"It's near Shendu's portal," Jackie observed.

"The demons have probably located her as well and will go there to stop Mei Liang," Uncle said.

"And they will take Yade with them," concluded Paco.

"Then we can banish all the demons at once and save Jade. Piece of cake," said Viper.

"It will not be so simple," Uncle remarked. "There is still that girl with the Hun Yu jewel, which is extremely dangerous in wrong hands. And it _is_ in wrong hands now! Besides, Mei Liang may release her brothers, and that would just make things more difficult."

"Well, one more reason for us to hurry," said El Toro.

"Indeed. And we should go right now. The trip is long and we have no time to waste."

"I'll call Captain Black and ask for a jet to take us there," Viper offered.

"Dad, can I go too?" Jack asked, surprising everyone.

"But, Jack, you never liked the idea of getting involved with demons!" his father said in disbelief.

"But I want to help you save Jade. She's my cousin!"

"Jack, it's a good thing that you want to help, but it would be the best if you just stayed here. It is at least nine demons and a very powerful jewel to deal with; it is too dangerous."

"We don't want anything to happen to you, Jack," Viper added.

Then, everyone dispersed: Viper went to call Captain Black; Jackie, Uncle, and Tohru went to pack; Paco and El Toro hurried to Section 13 to help with all the necessary arrangements and explain to Captain what was happening. In half an hour, they were all outside the shop, saying goodbye to Jack—Uncle also told him to watch the shop while they were gone.

They got in the taxi and left. Jack waited until they were at a safe distance before entering the shop and turning the sign to the side where it was written "CLOSED". Since no one was willing to take him, it was time to put into practice everything he had learned from his cousin. He would go to Hong Kong with the others, whether they wanted him to or not.

oOo

After concentrating and speaking some magic words, Tso Lan made an image of a place strangely familiar to Jade appear. The girl watched in awe as the image became three-dimensional. Suddenly, everything looked so real that she had the feeling they had been transported to that place, wherever it was. However, when she tried to touch a tree, her hand passed through it, proving that everything was just an illusion.

"Wow! This is _so_ cool!" she said.

"Silence, mortal!" Hsi Wu hissed, slapping the back of her head. Jade yelped and glared at him. Though they had agreed to treat each other like there was only hatred between them so that the other demons wouldn't be suspicious, did he really have to be so convincing?

"Do you recognise this place?" Tso Lan inquired suddenly.

"It is Hong Kong," Dai Gui answered.

"Near Shendu's portal," Tchang Zu added. The moon demon nodded.

"It is where Mei Liang's oldest brother and I fought. She has decided to release the strongest one of her family first, but that gives us an advantage."

"Advantage! You just said he's the strongest! How can that be an advantage to us?" Jade questioned, yelping once more when Hsi Wu grabbed her arm with unnecessary strength.

"I told you to be quiet!"

Jade scowled, but did not say anything.

"It is an advantage because the spell to release him requires more chi and more time. Long enough for at least one of us to get there." He turned to Valmont, who flinched and approached Bai Tsa as if expecting she would protect him lest the moon demon meant him any harm. "If I am not mistaken, we are in Tchang Zu's old territory, correct? Which means the fastest and easiest way to Hong Kong is to the west?"

Valmont hesitated and just nodded in response.

"Very well, then," Tso Lan said softly. "We do not have much time. I will go in my own way. Anyone here who cannot cross the sea will go with the humans in that so-called jet."

"Besides you, only Hsi Wu and Bai Tsa can cross the ocean," Xiao Fung observed.

"And Dai Gui also," said Tchang Zu, but the earth demon shook his head.

"It would take too long."

"Indeed. He would have to dig until he was under the sea level. Even he would not manage," Tso Lan explained.

"It is settled, then. Tso Lan and Hsi Wu will be flying and Bai Tsa will be swimming. Thus, you will be able to get there in time to stop her. The rest of us will join you in the fight later," Tchang Zu summed it up. Everyone agreed.

Jade felt Hsi Wu grab her wrist.

"Are you coming with me?" he asked quietly so that only she could hear him.

"What, are you kidding me? Do you really think I'll be left out?" She grinned.

Hsi Wu smiled briefly, then his face was sober again and he glanced carefully at his siblings. "Let us go, then." He took her outside the house, following Tso Lan.

While the moon demon used his gravitational powers to float higher, Hsi Wu took Jade in his arms and flew up. Surprised, Jade gasped and embraced the winged demon tightly, but then relaxed. She simply loved to fly, especially with Hsi Wu. The stars and the moon seemed much closer, and the sight of the nocturnal city of San Francisco was fantastic.

A strong, cold wind blew and Jade shivered. Hsi Wu noticed that and held her closer.

"Are you sure you want to come, Jade? I will have to fly very fast. We will cross an entire ocean and you will be even colder. Perhaps you should stay here..." he whispered.

"No! I'm coming with you no matter what!" she insisted, determined.

Hsi Wu shrugged briefly and all of a sudden shot out towards the sea, right after his brother. Jade was surprised by the sudden movement ands speed and held the wind demon tighter.

oOo

As soon as Tso Lan and Hsi Wu left, Bai Tsa grabbed Valmont's wrist and dragged him to the second floor.

"Ow! What are you doing? Where are you taking me?" he asked, his face contorted in pain. Every time Bai Tsa caught his wrist like that, it was as if she wanted to break it.

"I want to make sure you will not do anything stupid," the water demon answered.

"What?"

Bai Tsa stopped and narrowed her eyes as she glared at him. "You will stay here while I am gone. And I don't want you to run away, so—"

"What do you mean, I will stay here!" Valmont protested. "No! I'm going after my daughter! You can't stop me!"

"Oh, yes, I can," she said, opening the door of his room and violently shoving him inside. Before he could even get up, she shut the door.

"Bai Tsa!"

On the other side, the mermaid spoke a word he could not understand and the door glowed blue. "I have sealed the door magically. It is no use trying to open or force it. It will open only when the spell is removed," Bai Tsa warned.

"Bai Tsa, let me out of here this instant! You can't do this to me!" he yelled, banging his fists on the door frenetically. She laughed and went away. "Open this door right now! Bai Tsa! You can't leave me here!"

Silence. Bai Tsa was gone and left him locked up in his own room, with no water or food. Valmont cursed aloud and several times, kicking the door one last time before giving up and leaning on the wall, sighing heavily.

The door still had a dim, bluish glow, and Valmont knew it would be useless to try opening it. However, there was still the window. How could Bai Tsa forget that detail?

With a hint of hope, he rushed to the window and tried to open it, but as soon as he touched it, a strange energy repelled him. More carefully, he reached out for it. Little blue rays rose from the glass and he backed away, not wanting to be repelled again. It felt like he had got a shock, reminded him of the times when he had touched the Pan Ku box while Shendu possessed his body.

Then, it wasn't only the door that was magically sealed, but the window as well. Desperate, Valmont looked around, trying to think of a way to escape. Unfortunately, there was no secret passage in this room.

He sat down on his bed and tried to relax to think clearer. There had to be a way out! After some minutes, he got tired and lay down.

At that moment, he noted the air vent in the ceiling. Abruptly getting up, he examined it and wondered if it was also sealed. Valmont took a quick glance around and went to get a hanger in the closet.

Standing on his bed, he poked the vent with the hanger. Nothing happened. Valmont could barely believe. Bai Tsa hadn't even realised there was an exit other than the door and the window!

He jumped up to remove the vent. Once he heaved himself into it, he sealed it back and began crawling through the vent pipes, ignoring the dirt, the dust, and the cobwebs. In any other circumstance, he would have refused to do it, but this was an emergency. It wasn't just because of Julia, but now it was also a matter of dignity. He would not let any demon control him or lock him up in his own room as if he were her pet.

He finally reached the next room. After removing the vent, he jumped out of it and landed nimbly on the bed. He could already hear the Dark Hand's jet approaching. Now he had to hurry, or else he wouldn't be able to get there in time. He rushed out of the room as fast as he could, went downstairs, almost tripped once, and got to the sitting room. Nobody was there; all the demons had also heard the jet and had already left.

Valmont heard the jet landing near the house and ran to the door that leaded to the backyard. When he finally reached the jet, everyone was already inside and it was ready to take off.

"Wait!" he shouted, waving frantically to the pilot. The latter saw him and waited, then opened the door to let him in.

"Why are we not flying yet?" Tchang Zu asked at the moment Valmont came in. All the demons, even Po Kong and Shendu, in their human forms, stared at him. The man was covered in dust, slightly sweaty, and panting, his hair a mess.

"What happened to you?" Xiao Fung asked him, raising a brow.

"I'm... going... to Hong Kong... too..." Valmont said, trying to catch his breath, then glared at the demons as if daring them to stop him.

"Hm. Whatever," Xiao Fung replied, shrugging. All the demons went back to their places and completely ignored the man.

A bit surprised, Valmont collapsed on a seat in the last row and took a deep breath. After the jet took off, he went to the lavatory to wash his hand and his face and tied his hair back. When he was about to go back to his seat, he heard Po Kong complain about being hungry.

"You have eaten all the food here already!" Tchang Zu snapped.

"You may eat this blond human who is coming with us," Dai Gui suggested. Valmont gulped, his hand still upon the doorknob. Perhaps crossing the Pacific Ocean in a jet with six demons—one of them constantly hungry—wasn't such a good idea, after all...

"You cannot eat him. You know how Bai Tsa gets when we kill her humans," Xiao Fung reminded them.

"Ah, I forgot," Po Kong muttered. Valmont sighed in relief and finally dared to go back to his place. "In the ancient times we couldn't even look at them for too long that she was insufferable for days. It seems old habits do die hard."

As he sat down and saw the demons' frustrated expression, Valmont couldn't help but smirk. Who would have guessed that being Bai Tsa's prisoner had its advantages?

"I don't know why. They never last for too long, anyway," Shendu remarked, smiling caustically at the human.

Valmont frowned to the fire demon and looked away, turning to the window. Well, it seemed there were more disadvantages. And he really didn't appreciate the idea of spending the rest of his life as the spiteful mermaid's prisoner.

Then again...

Valmont couldn't stop thinking about what had happened in his room right before Tso Lan called them. It was amazing how all his hatred for the water demon had suddenly turned into desire, an impulsive passion. Why had he felt like that?

Perhaps she had enchanted him, as if she had threatened in case he didn't cooperate. Yes, that should be it. Clenching his fists, Valmont silently cursed her. She wouldn't get away with that! He would teach that demon a lesson. In his own way, in his own time...

oOo

As they approached their destination, Jackie grew more and more nervous. Since they left the shop, Uncle hadn't stopped telling them how dangerous this new demon was, especially now when she had the corrupted power of the Hun Yu jewel. Even with all the talismans, it would be difficult to defeat her. Jackie could only hope the other demon sorcerers wouldn't join forces with her.

His only solace was to know that his son was safe in the shop.

Behind him, Tohru began to look for more crisps. Not finding any around, he decided to get more in a bag kept above him. The Japanese man stood up, barely opened the boot, and stepped back when something fell at his feet, followed by a yelp.

For a moment, Jackie was hopeful. "Jade!" he whispered, immediately turning around. Impossible, he thought.

"Jack!" the others exclaimed in unison.

The boy slowly got up and smiled nervously at his mother.

"What are you doing here?" Viper demanded to know, placing her hands on her hips.

"Actually, I'm more curious to know how he got here," Tohru said quietly. At this, Jack smiled mischievously.

"It's just something Jade taught me," he answered.

"She sure did," Jackie murmured to himself.

"Aiya! I knew Jade would be a bad example for him if they spent too much time together!" Uncle complained to a taken aback Jackie.

"But it was always you who made her take care of him while we worked, Uncle!" he protested helplessly, being punished with a two-fingered whack in the head.

"Are you blaming Uncle for _your_ incompetence as a fatheeeeer? Do not forget that kind of thing never happened when I was bringing you up!" the old man retorted, pointing accusingly at his nephew.

"Aw, c'mon, Uncle, it's not his fault—" Jack tried to say, but the two adults glared at him.

"Do not question Uncle!" the old wizard said, whacking him in the head as well.

"Yes, this is grown-up talking. And when we get back to the shop, you'll be grounded for three months," Jackie added, crossing his arms.

In an almost perfect imitation of Jade, Jack growled, crossed his arms and sulked, then sat alone. Paco, who was to his left in the row on the other side, stared at him for a while. Finally, Jack snapped and glared at him.

"What is it? You want to scold me, too? Tell me I shouldn't have come?"

"No," Paco said softly. "Actually, I'm glad you did what you did. Yade will be proud of you." Paco gave him a small smile and went back to his place, staring distractedly at the seat in front of him, deep in thought.

Feeling better, Jack watched him curiously. The young man looked so melancholic... Ever since Jade had been captured, he couldn't relax at all. He should really like her. However, Jack was afraid his dear cousin would not return these feelings.

Remembering that scene, Jack felt cold shivers going down his spine. When he was still prisoner of the demons and they were trying to set an ambush for the J-Team, there was a strange explosion and almost everyone was injured. While the other demons retreated, Hsi Wu had allowed Jade to stay and take care of her family. And then...

"But do not forget that you are still mine, Jade!" the sky demon had said, and then they kissed. Right in front of Jack and Julia. At first, the boy couldn't believe his eyes; he thought he was just seeing things, affected by the chi explosion. But Julia was surprised as well, she had also witnessed the kiss. And even he could see Jade was not being forced to do that, she didn't resist at all. On top of that, afterwards, Hsi Wu had even helped her rescue the J-Team before flying away.

He never had the opportunity or the courage to talk about that with his cousin, until the whole incident was forgotten. However, now when he saw how much Paco liked her, he began to recollect all those moments after the dreadful explosion.

Suddenly, he realised something. If she really liked the sky demon, was that why she hadn't run away and come back yet? After all, she was _Jade Chan_. It was simply impossible that she hadn't had any chance to escape at some point.

Jack gulped and couldn't look at Paco anymore. Now everything made sense. The Mexican boy had told them that he had found Jade in a park and they talked for a good while before the sky demon came and took her away. Thinking about the situation more carefully, it was ridiculously absurd that she hadn't got to escape after being left alone in the park, wandering around as if it were an average summer day.

No matter how much Jack wanted to deny it; in reality, Jade was in love with the sky demon. How or why, Jack had no idea. Until then, it was something unimaginable. If someone had told him that would happen a while ago, Jack would have laughed in their faces. Now, he just wanted to cry.

On the seat in front of him, Uncle began to yell again, complaining about something to Tohru. Jack held his hands, uneasy. What would happen when his family found out? What would they do?

oOo

After helping someone, one would think they would at least get a few words of thanks, not be tied up. Frustrated, Finn tried once more to get rid of the ropes that tied him to his two companions, but to no avail. Cursing himself for having left his penknife at home, the Irishman tried to see if Julia had changed her mind and considered his proposal to help them.

Apparently not, for she just stood there, staring at nothing with unfocused eyes. She had been like that for a good while now, unblinking, as if she were hypnotised. And she probably was, since they were around Mei Liang...

Mei Liang was kneeling down some metres away from Julia, reading a book, whispering something to herself, and stirring a strange, foul-smelling, green potion at the same time. Well, since Julia was not going to help them, he would have to appeal to Mei Liang, although he was almost sure she would also just ignore them.

"Uh, excuse me, Big M, but... there's one thing I don't understand. We helped you, we brought you that book you're reading after risking our own lives, we served you loyally..." He was careful to exaggerate all the facts, then paused to see her reaction. Mei Liang didn't even seem to have heard him. Even so, he went on, "So, I don't really understand why you tied us up. If you don't need us anymore, couldn't you at least let us go now?"

From the corner of his eye, he saw Mei Liang smirk. "I am sorry, but I cannot let you go. There is one more thing for which you three can be useful."

"Ah, really?"

"And what is it?" Chow asked.

Mei chuckled and stood up. "The place where my brothers are confined is as desolate as the Netherworld, where the Eight Demon Sorcerers were imprisoned. They will be starving when they get out of there."

Finn's eyes widened as he was finally beginning to guess what the demon had planned for them. Paling, he felt the other two enforcers tensing.

"Y-you mean—"

But Mei Liang wasn't listening anymore. "At last, the potion is done. It took too long, but it will be worth it," she said to no one in particular.

Her expression was suddenly very serious and she began to whisper magic words again while spilling the green potion on the ground, forming a symbol within a small circle.

"Julia! Julia, you gotta help us!" Chow and Ratso shouted, but Finn just shook his head when seeing her slightly glassy eyes.

The liquid on the ground began to glow, reminding Finn of the time when the Dark Hand helped Shendu release his siblings, opening the portals with the Pan Ku box. The Irishman gulped, wondering what this new portal would look like and what kind of demon would come out of it, ready to devour them.

Suddenly, a strange, dark blast of energy hit the female demon, throwing her a few metres away from them and interrupting the spell she was casting. Behind him, Finn heard Chow and Ratso gasp in surprise.

"What? What's it? What's going on? Is it Chan?" he asked frantically.

"No! It's—" Chow said, breathless.

"The other demons!" Ratso finished for him.

"What?" Finn tried to see them. "All of them?"

Before any of them could answer, a shadow was cast upon them and Finn looked up at the sky demon landing next to the symbol Mei Liang had drawn. Oddly enough, he was holding the Chan girl in his arms. After hurriedly putting her down, he threw sand on the symbol and stepped on it and if he were trying to put a fire out.

Mei Liang stood up and hissed, narrowing her eyes at Hsi Wu. A new shadow appeared above the three enforcers and Finn was aghast as he watched the moon demon approaching.

"It seems we have got here right on time," he remarked to his youngest brother, who nodded and told Jade to stand back, never taking his eyes off the dragoness. The girl hesitated.

"Look, there's another!" Chow exclaimed at the same time Mei Liang also looked into that direction, watching every movement of the newcomer.

Finn listened as the new demon approached with a hiss, though he couldn't hear any footsteps. Soon, the water demon joined her brothers.

"I came as fast as possible," she told them.

"We have to distract her until the others arrive," Hsi Wu whispered.

Finn closed his eyes for a moment, exasperated. Great, more demons! Then again, they seemed to be against Mei Liang and on the humans' side for the time being, so he supposed it wouldn't be so bad to have them as some reinforcement.

Mei Liang's eyes glowed in anger, but then she relaxed and smirked again, stretching her arm with her palm turned towards them.

"You fools! Do you really think you can defeat me when I have the power of all the talismans that Shendu thoughtfully shared with me?" she questioned caustically.

Using the power of the dragon talisman, she fired a blast towards the three demons and Jade. Hsi Wu and Tso Lan flew up to dodge it, Bai Tsa turned into water, and Jade threw herself onto the ground. The blast went scarily close past Finn and then near Julia, who didn't even flinch.

Jade turned to see the explosion caused by it and finally noted Julia standing there. She jumped on her feet and ran towards the blonde. "Julia! Are you okay?"

Julia didn't move. Jade frowned and held her shoulders to shake her.

"Hel-_lo_! Julia! What's wrong with you? C'mon, wake up!"

She finally reacted, but certainly not in the way Jade had expected. The British girl frowned slightly and looked coldly at Jade, then shoved her so that the Chinese girl would let go of her. Jade yelped and fell to the ground.

Surprised, she leaned on her elbows and stared at Julia with widened eyes. "Julia, what...? Don't you recognise me? It's me! Jade Chan! I'm not your enemy!"

Julia stretched her hands, her palms turned to Jade, and created a chi sphere to attack her. Hsi Wu started and was about to stop her, when Mei Liang herself did so with just a word of command. To everyone's surprise, Julia promptly obeyed.

"Come, my puppet. It is not worth dirtying your hands with pitiful humans. Why don't you show Shendu's siblings what you are capable of, instead?" the dragoness said in amusement.

"Puppet!" Jade exclaimed, glaring at her. Julia floated a few centimetres over the ground and landed next to Mei Liang, who smirked maliciously.

"That is correct. It was very easy to manipulate this little girl and make her corrupt the jewel at once. Now I can control her at my will."

"Curse you!" Bai Tsa hissed.

"There is no other way. Now we will have to kill the girl also," Tso Lan stated.

"If they don't kill us first," Hsi Wu muttered bitterly.

"Do not be so pessimistic, my brother," the moon demon said softly. Hsi Wu snorted in response and smirked ironically.

Finn watched the scene carefully and got more and more nervous. The demons were about to fight with all their might, and he certainly didn't want to stay tied up in the middle of the battlefield.

"Hey, can you untie us now?" he asked Jade. Only now did the girl seem to notice their presence. She hesitated. "C'mon, are you really going to leave us here to die?" he snapped.

"No, it's just that—Oh, never mind." Jade got up and staggered, then knelt down next to them. "Hmm, I can't undo the knot..." she muttered.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Chow exclaimed, his voice holding a hint of panic.

"Let's just get out of here! They're distracted, nobody will stop us!" Ratso proposed. The three men pressed their backs against each other's and used their feet for a boost. Thus, they managed to stand up and, very clumsily, almost losing their balance several times, half-stumbled, half-dragged each other to safety behind a rock until they could figure out how to get rid of the ropes.

oOo

Observing Tso Lan and Julia's unusual coldness, Mei Liang's victorious smile, and Hsi Wu and Bai Tsa's concern and anger, Jade felt cold shivers going down her spine. She still couldn't believe that—even with the power of the Hun Yu jewel—Julia was capable of defeating a demon sorcerer, let alone three of them combined, but she knew that Mei Liang, possessing the power of all the talismans, had a great advantage over them.

She focused on Mei Liang. However, the dragoness backed away and crossed her arms. "Just finish those worms at once," she whispered, looking at Tso Lan in contempt.

Julia's eyes glowed just like Mei Liang's while she turned her palm to the moon demon and shot a fiery blast like the dragoness had just done. The three demons dodged easily, and Jade had to duck again in order not to get hit.

"Wait! Wasn't that the power of the dragon talisman?" she asked in disbelief.

"When our minds unite, our powers are shared also," their two foes answered in unison, with twin evil smirks on their faces.

"Damn it... _Now_ Julia is dangerous, too," Jade muttered to herself, clenching her fists.

Suddenly, Julia disappeared. Jade gasped and looked around frantically, trying to guess where she would reappear. _She must be using the snake talisman..._

Some seconds later, Hsi Wu was lifted in the air by an invisible force and thrown towards Tso Lan, who didn't have time to get out of the way. While they struggled to get up, Bai Tsa used her water blasts on the spot where Hsi Wu had been standing. Water dripped in the air, revealing Julia's position. The girl became visible again and sullenly turned to the mermaid, who smiled in victory.

"You cannot hide from me with those little tricks. I figured out how to find Shendu when he used the snake talisman against me a long time ago."

"Ah, but can you be fast enough to use _your_ little tricks against us?" Mei and Julia asked, their eyes glowing with the same intensity.

At the following instant, using the rabbit talisman to move quickly, Julia was right behind Bai Tsa. The water demon realised that too late and couldn't avoid being hit by another explosion of the dragon talisman. Fortunately, she quickly recovered.

"You may have the ability to recover from an attack in few seconds, but if you keep doing that too many times in a row, you will get tired and more and more vulnerable and weak. It is just a matter of time," Mei Liang stated. Bai Tsa hissed, her eyes glowing intensely, and got up to continue fighting, waiting for her brothers to join her.

Hsi Wu had told Jade that, at first, they wouldn't fight with all their might, but would try to save time until the others arrived. It seemed a good plan back then, but now she wasn't so sure anymore. As Mei Liang had said, it was just a matter of time until even Bai Tsa succumbed. She could just hope the others would come soon. Though, considering the distance between San Francisco and Hong Kong, they most likely wouldn't.

_Jackie, Uncle, please, hurry up..._

**To be continued...**

* * *

Many thanks to all my dear reviewers: **VampireNaomi**, **SilverZeo**, **Senda san**, **Dragolover1**, **Hellblaze**, **Spleefie**, **cookiekitten**, and **Erica**. I really appreciated your comments!


	31. Blood, Sweat and Tears

– **CHAPTER 31 –**

_**Blood, Sweat and Tears**_

It seemed the demons and Julia were fated to battle until the End of Time. While Julia was in possession of a potent jewel and the power of all the talismans, she was still only one human against three, much more experienced demon sorcerers. They had been fighting for what felt like hours – which might well be the case, and Jade would have been able to tell had she brought a working watch. Mei Liang quietly stood at a distance, just watching them attentively, a smug smirk on her face. Once in a while, her eyes would glow, and Julia's would do the same right away. Jade suspected that the reason why Mei Liang was focusing all her attention on the fight was because she was directly controlling Julia's actions.

She sighed heavily, looking down for a moment. She had never felt so helpless. It was so frustrating! She couldn't think of anything she could do to aid the demons – who, at least for now, were still her allies. Their plan was to prevent Mei Liang from releasing any more demons and to buy the Chan clan time until they came with a sacrifice. Jade didn't much appreciate that plan, for that would mean one of her friends would have to die. There just had to be another way out of this mess!

As she resumed watching the battle, she noticed that the demons were aiming most of their blows at Julia's chest and back, particularly the left side, where her heart was. She wondered why for a moment before remembering what the demons had decided in their last meeting. They'd said they had to kill Julia.

"Of course," she muttered to herself in realisation. "They're after the jewel. It's what makes her so powerful and dangerous." It had never occurred to her that the only way to remove the jewel from her body was physically. Possibly, they'd have to take her heart out. So that was what they had meant; they didn't just want to feel safe. Her death was inevitable if they were to get the jewel out of her.

Well, not if she could do anything about it. She recalled the time when she and her uncles had needed to remove the talismans from Shendu's body, years ago. Jackie had a spell cast on his hands so that they could go right through Shendu's skin and flesh and reach the talismans. She glanced at Tso Lan. He didn't seem to be carrying any ingredients for that specific potion, but maybe he could go and get them while the other two distracted the enemy.

The sound of an approaching plane got her attention and she looked up hopefully. Jackie and the others had finally come! Now she could ask Uncle to make that potion, instead. She ran to jet when it began to land on a spot at a respectable distance from the battle.

"Jackie! Uncle!" she shouted when she was close enough to be heard. Suddenly, the door literally burst open. Startled, Jade froze in place and stared wide-eyed as Tchang Zu stepped out of the jet, followed by Dai Gui, Shendu, Xiao Fung, and at last Po Kong. "Wha–?" She then took a better look at the jet and realised it wasn't from Section 13, but rather the one which belonged to Valmont.

Completely ignoring her presence, Tchang Zu pointed up where three of his siblings were engaged in battle with Julia. "There they are."

"Mei Liang is watching us," remarked Xiao Fung. Jade looked back to confirm that and was surprised that he could see her face from such a distance.

"Where _are_ the Chans?" asked Shendu impatiently. "They were supposed to have come and sacrificed one of their own already!"

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble, scaly belly, but I won't let any human die here today!" said Jade, raising her tone of voice so as to catch their attention.

"Except that human girl over there," said Po Kong, smirking as she pointed at Julia. "If you really want to save yourself and your human friends, there is no other way."

Jade smirked back, placing her hands on her hips. "Actually, I do know a way to save Julia too."

"Do you?" came an anxious voice. Jade looked at the man leaning on the doorway of the jet. "Can you really save her?"

"Guess so," she said, shrugging. "Not with these guys' help, though," she added, indicating the demons around her in contempt. "But we're gonna have to wait for Uncle."

Tchang Zu snorted. "Then you may as well bid the girl farewell now, for we have no intention of sitting back and waiting for the Chans' arrival. The danger of the Hun Yu jewel must be eliminated as soon as possible." With that, he beckoned at his siblings to follow him and they all headed to where the others were still fighting. Jade glared after them and approached the scene just enough to see what was going on.

"So you have finally decided to join us?" said Mei Liang, sounding and looking quite amused.

"Yes, _finally_," hissed Hsi Wu, annoyed with their delay.

Tchang Zu waved a hand dismissively. "We are not here to fight you, Mei Liang."

"Oh?"

"We are here for the human girl," said Dai Gui, pointing at Julia, who had come to land next to Mei Liang.

"Well, you see, I cannot let you have her. She is my puppet, and a very useful one at that."

"Not for too long," said Tchang Zu threateningly while flexing his clawed fingers.

"Don't you dare kill her!" shouted Valmont from beside Jade.

"Stay out of this, human!" the Thunder Demon shouted back angrily before returning his attention to Mei Liang. "You, too, stay out of our way while we take care of the girl and the jewel, if you know what is good for you."

Mei raised her hands innocently. "Of course, whatever you say. There is no reason for me to interfere, in any case. She alone can handle all of you together."

"You are bluffing," said Bai Tsa lazily. "She could barely match three of us. She has absolutely no chance against all eight demon sorcerers."

"Oh, I don't know, maybe she was just holding back when she fought you three?" said Mei Liang sarcastically. Bai Tsa merely narrowed her eyes. "I assure you, she is quite capable of handling all of you effortlessly."

"I am sure she is," said Tchang Zu solemnly, and Jade couldn't really tell if he was being sarcastic. "That said, you do not have to trouble yourself with us. Just stand back and watch."

She smirked.

oOo

Jackie looked at his own reflection of the window of the plane, wriggling his hands nervously. After a while, everyone, even Uncle, had stopped talking, settled down, and fallen into a pensive silence. It was a little unnerving. Of course, they were all worried about Jade, the very fate of the world possibly lay in their hands, and they were going to risk their lives to save those, but then again, what else was new? However, he could feel something different in the atmosphere, something dark, like an ill omen.

He glanced at Uncle. Somehow, Jackie thought he looked the broodiest of them all. Over an hour earlier, he had been acting like his usual, cranky self as he leafed through one of his old magic books. He must have found what he had been looking for, seeing as he suddenly stopped and began to read one specific page relatively quietly. Jackie had idly noted his uncle's expression getting grimmer and grimmer as he read. He supposed whatever spell Uncle had been reading was very complicated. Tohru must have noticed it as well, for he at some point asked if his master had already found the right spell and if he could be of any help. Uncle had grumpily shoved the book into Tohru's hands and merely told him to read it. Tohru was confused, but obeyed him. After a few minutes of reading, he frowned at the book and glanced at Uncle, but seeing the old man's severe expression, refrained from speaking and went back to reading.

That had been an hour ago, and Tohru was still reading the spell, so far three pages long. He looked nervous, and a maybe a little pale.

"Sensei..."

"Just keep reading, Tohru."

Those were the only words uttered in the last hour, this brief dialogue repeating itself at intervals of about fifteen minutes. They spoke in whispers, but Jackie could hear them in the ominous silence that had descended upon them. At first, Jackie had shrugged the exchange off; Tohru had asked, so Uncle had let him read the spell they were going to perform, and by the looks of it, it was an extremely complex spell. When Tohru began to look ill, however, Jackie started to wonder what was really going on.

At last, Tohru shut the book closed and took a slightly shuddering breath.

"Sensei, did you know about that?" she whispered.

"Had an idea," muttered Uncle, more to himself than to Tohru.

"But... there must be another way!"

Jackie was about to voice the questions that had been nagging at him for the past hour, but Viper beat him to it, "What do you mean? What is this all about?" She eyed them suspiciously. Observant spy that she was, she had obviously realised that something was amiss, as well.

"The spell to banish the demon Mei Liang," said Tohru, looking at her and then at everyone else, with a troubled expression. "It is the same spell Shendu used, and the one we tried to do earlier."

"So what?" asked Jack in confusion. Almost immediately, he said, "Oh, I get it! You think it won't keep her imprisoned forever like it's supposed to do! She did come back despite Shendu's spell, after all."

Uncle snorted. "Unless there happens to be another huge explosion of dark chi while a spell similar to the one required to cast this spell is performed, we should not have to worry about her coming back."

"Sensei is right," said Tohru, skimming over one of the pages of the spell. "This chi spell is very effective and virtually irreversible."

"But that must mean it's very complicated, right?" said Jackie.

"Complicated, yes, but not impossible."

"Then what's the matter?" asked Paco, earning himself a two-finger whack in the head from Uncle.

"Don't you ever listen to Uncle?" he snapped. "Do you not remember what we had to do to cast that spell?"

Everyone was silent, most looking clueless. Jackie, however, thought he knew what Uncle was talking about.

"A... sacrifice," he murmured. Uncle nodded. Jackie sighed; he was beginning to understand why Tohru had seemed so uneasy.

"The victim of the sacrifice must be willing and somehow related to the spell caster. A friend, a relative, or a lover..." explained Tohru.

For a moment, they all stared at one another, all asking wondering the same thing; which one of them would be willing to sacrifice his or her life to banish a demon?

Jackie let out another, heavier sigh and sank down on his seat. Next to him, Viper did likewise.

"Maybe we should just leave the demons to do it," she said.

"No!" shouted Jack, startling everyone. They all turned to stare at him questioningly. He cleared his throat and looked down. "I – I mean, demons have no feelings. There just isn't anyone they'd like enough to be sacrificed."

"But didn't Shendu do it?" asked Paco.

Jack shrugged. "Didn't seem to have worked that well, now did it? Besides, that was his son. But his brothers and sisters... he hates them! I know; I've seen 'em."

"You have a point," said Jackie pensively.

"They probably expect _us_ to do this spell," said El Toro. Viper nodded in agreement.

"So, who's gonna do it?" she asked.

"I should do it," said Jackie after a moment of tense silence.

"Dad, no!" protested Jack.

"If – if it's to save Yade, maybe I should –"

El Toro cut his protégé off, "Don't even think about that, Paquito!"

"Do not bother arguing about that," said Uncle, with a dismissive gesture. "Uncle has already decided who will be the sacrifice."

Jackie and Viper glanced at each other apprehensively. "Um, don't you think we should discuss it first, Uncle?" he asked.

"No."

"But –"

"_Uncle_ will do it. Will be the sacrifice."

Jack gasped. Jackie and Tohru looked horrified at the old man.

"Uncle, you shouldn't..."

"And who would cast the spell, Sensei? Only you could –"

"You would, Tohru," said Uncle. He turned to look at the others. "You all are still young, have a long life ahead."

"Yeah, well, you didn't seem so eager to take Jackie's place last time, did you?" said Viper bitterly, her eyes accusing.

"For your information, I was glad that it did not work back then," he whispered, his gaze piercing. "Perhaps you couldn't have guessed, but I often questioned myself, wondered if I would be really able to let my nephew die and send his soul to a realm of darkness... Maybe I would have, after all, but then, I would not have been able to live with myself. I would never forgive myself if I sent you to your death now."

"It was my choice, Uncle," said Jackie solemnly. He was actually touched by his relative's words, but seeing Uncle so wretched and remorseful over him was surreal and more than a little disturbing. "You never forced me or even talked me into it. I chose to do it on my own free will – and I would have done much worse for the ones I love, if it were the only way."

"So would I, Jackie," said Uncle quietly, a sad smile on his lips. "So would I."

oOo

Jade grinned at the sound of yet another plane. She was sure that it was Jackie and the others this time. They had certainly brought the talismans, which would make this fight a little fairer. Plus, she could ask Uncle to make that potion that would allow them to remove the Hun Yu jewel from Julia's body without causing her any harm.

Fortunately for them, none of the demons seemed to mind the humans' arrival; Mei Liang was just too self-confident and probably thought they weren't worth her attention, and the eight demon sorcerers could now let the Chans do all the dirty work – and maybe even attack them in the end, when they would supposedly be tired from the fight and grieving for the sacrificed one. Jade would have to tell them about it and keep an eye on the eight demons as well. There was no way she would let the demons use her friends like that.

When the jet landed, Jade was about to make a run to it when she suddenly felt something heavy weighting on her right shoulder. It was a clawed, scaly, pinkish dragon hand. She looked back over her shoulder to see Mei Liang behind her, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Hey, what are you doing?" she asked, struggling to shrug the monstrous hand off. "Let me go!"

Instead, Mei Liang only tightened her grip on the girl's shoulder, the pointy claws coming awfully close to perforating her skin. Jade bit back a gasp and winced at the pressure.

"Your human friends wouldn't have come if they weren't prepared. And whatever spell they plan to cast on me, they won't do anything while you're in the way, I'm sure."

"So you're using me as a shield? Now that's lame. So much for powerful demons..."

"Whatever works for me. I am not stupid, child. I shall do whatever it takes to win."

"Who're you calling a child?"

"Silence!" Mei Liang then glanced back at Julia, making her move closer to them and farther away from the other demons.

By now, Uncle and the rest of the J-Team were already approaching the scene. Jade noted their gloomy expressions and that Tohru stood back, the magical lizard and one of Uncle's old books in his hands. Jade frowned in confusion; _Tohru_ was going to cast the spell? She looked at Uncle and gasped when she saw a familiar character painted on his forehead.

"Uncle!" She tried to run to him, but Mei Liang still held her firmly in place.

"I knew it. That same old spell," The demon smirked. "In a way, I am flattered that you think you must go through so much trouble just to defeat me. Honestly, though, I have no words to convey the sheer stupidity of that little plan of yours. I merely have to refrain from giving you a fatal blow and nothing will happen to me."

"If you refuse to kill Uncle, we can just banish you the regular way, into some other realm," said Uncle, smirking at her. He had that glint in his eye, Jade noticed. She could tell he was up to something.

Mei Liang growled and they both had a stare down contest. Behind Uncle, the J-Team just watched them warily. Jade couldn't help but be reminded of old west movies, such was the absolute silence around them when even the wind stopped, the piercing glares that were exchanged between the two opponents, the tension of the bystanders...

The moment was broken by an urgent cry, "Julia!" followed by a choked yelp behind them. Everyone turned to look at where it had come from, and Jade paled when she saw Julia slightly bent forwards, her eyes wide and unfocused, and a rivulet of blood streaming from her mouth. She made another choked noise before falling to the ground. Her back and some of her hair were covered in blood, and her shirt was torn around a ghastly, hand-sized wound. Next to her stood Tchang Zu, smirking triumphantly as he raised a small, bloodied object between his fingers, above his head.

"The Hun Yu jewel is mine!"

For a moment, no one said or did anything; they could just stare, dumbfounded, at the Thunder Demon as he smirked evilly at every one of them, including his own siblings. Then, Xiao Fung blurted out, "How come he can touch the jewel? I thought only the pure of heart could!"

In response, Tchang Zu merely showed them the object he held in his other hand; the tiger talisman. Mei Liang's jaw dropped. Jade, who recovered faster than most, took this chance to get away from her. She knew exactly what she needed and where to find it.

Slowly, inconspicuously, Jade approached Jackie and brought him out of his shocked stupor by whispering in his ear, "Jackie, I need the talismans."

"Now the power is all mine!" gloated Tchang Zu. "I don't need a lowly human to use it for me! With this talisman, I can absorb it myself and take control!"

"Are you out of your mind?" shouted Bai Tsa, her eyes glowing dangerously.

"You fool!" hissed Shendu. "You cannot do that!"

"Do not tell me what I can or cannot do, Shendu!" He looked around at his siblings. "I am tired of always having to listen to you, to follow your plans, to subject myself to the humiliation and disgrace of this family! From now on, I decide my own fate, and you weaklings shall do as I say!" He clenched the jewel in a fist angrily.

The horse talisman in hand, Jade sneaked her way behind Tchang Zu and knelt down next to Julia, who by now had gone back to her actual age. Jade grimaced at the wound and the blood that had already formed a pool around the girl. Hoping against hope it wasn't too late, she held Julia's hand with her own, then held the dog talisman with the other hand and pressed it against the little girl's palm.

Tso Lan frowned at Tchang Zu and raised his hands. "So that is how you feel, Brother? Very well. If you no longer wish to be part of this family, you may go on your own way and never see us again... but not before you are punished accordingly for your betrayal." Lowering his deep voice, he commanded, "Hand over that jewel and the talisman, Tchang Zu."

Before the Thunder Demon could react, he was lifted in the air by an invisible force and shortly afterwards thrown violently into the ground, making it shake all around. Lying flat on his back, he grunted and screamed in rage, his entire body shuddering as he struggled against the force that was pressing him downwards. Tso Lan floated next to him and used his powers to make Tchang Zu unclench his fists. Tchang Zu couldn't resist for too long, and as soon as Tso Lan succeeded and levitated the two items to him, he released the pressure on Tchang Zu. The Thunder Demon lay there, panting.

"Perhaps I should keep it with me for now," he said softly as he reached out to grab the two items. Before he could touch them, however, Hsi Wu flew past him and grabbed them.

"Or not. We wouldn't want you having any ideas, like Brother Tchang Zu here," he hissed.

"And why do you think we should trust _you_ with it, Hsi Wu?" said Bai Tsa crossly.

"That is right, let _me_ have it!" said Po Kong, kicking her little brother and the magical items in the process. Jade winced, briefly wondering how many of his bones were left unbroken after that, then accompanied with everyone's stunned gazes at the trajectory of the jewel in the air, moving as though in slow motion. Activating the power of the snake talisman, Jade rushed after it and, in two seconds, was picking it up from the ground. A few metres away, she found the tiger talisman.

Smirking, she turned back to the demons. "Hah! Take that! I, a 'puny human mortal', have the Hun Yu jewel, the ultimate source of power, and you don't! What are the big bad demons going to do now?"

As one, they charged at her.

"Oops," she said as she watched nine demons come ferociously towards her, much like a football team. Quickly, she considered her options. She could fly out of their reach – but Hsi Wu could fly, and she didn't know if she could really trust him at the moment. She could try to beat them up – but Tso Lan could easily hold her in place with his gravity powers. She could run. Yes, she could outrun them all.

She used the rabbit talisman and ran out of their reach towards her friends. Before she knew it, however, she had been sent flying over a few metres before painfully falling flat on the ground, with a bonus of having the air knocked out of her. All the talismans scattered around, and only the jewel remained safely in her fist.

"Quickly, get the talismans!" shouted Uncle.

"Give me that jewel, you vermin!" growled Mei Liang. Jade cursed under her breath; she had forgotten that Mei Liang still held the powers of all the talismans, courtesy of dear ol' Shendu.

She was helpless and cornered, so she did the only thing she could think of in such short notice; she threw the jewel away.

Either she didn't recognise her own strength, or the jewel had something to do with it, but it flew way over the J-Team and farther, falling right before a very traumatised-looking Valmont, who was on his knees. He looked down at it vacantly for a few seconds, then slowly picked it up. Unknowingly, he made himself the new target of the demonic football team.

"Valmont! Look out!" shouted Jade.

"What...?" he dazedly looked up and his eyes widened considerably at the sight of nine demons advancing at him. He screamed.

She stood in a clear spot and waved her hands. "Valmont! Throw it!"

He did so; he turned on his heels and flung it as far away from himself as he could.

"No!" shouted Jade. "You were supposed to throw it to _me_, you idiot!"

Now the demons as well as the J-Team were all after the jewel. Jack, who had got the rabbit talisman, used it to run past them and get to the jewel first. When Mei Liang was almost catching him up, he tried to run away, but tripped and fell over. She laughed and picked it up, but El Toro used the pig talisman to hit her hands with the heat-beam eyes. The dragon yelped and let go. After that, absolute chaos took over. Nine demons and seven humans were all trying to get the jewel at the same time. Observing from afar, it was almost comical; Uncle used the rooster talisman to levitate the demons away from the jewel, while Tso Lan did the same with the humans by using his own powers – eventually, only the both of them were left, so now they were using their powers on each other. Jackie (with the ox talisman), Viper (with the dragon talisman), and El Toro just kept hitting all the demons that they happened to lay their sights on. Tohru had the rat talisman, which was pretty useless in this fight, but he could still use the magical lizard to shoot chi beams at the enemies. Paco was nowhere to be seen, probably because he had the snake talisman. As for Jade, she had no talisman and couldn't really fight, so she concentrated on finding the jewel, which had got lost in the middle of the commotion.

It was Jack, however, who found the jewel. He had two talismans; the rabbit and the monkey. He turned into a bird and acquired super speed to fly like a bullet to the jewel and then away from the others, to safety. Hsi Wu noticed this and went after the little bird.

"Give me the jewel!" he demanded, using his strong paw to hit Jack, who couldn't evade it in time and dropped the jewel from his beak as the impact shook his entire, thin frame.

oOo

"Hey, I don't hear anything. I think we're safe now," whispered Ratso to his companions. The three enforcers had been hiding in the woods, trying to be as silent as possible as they made their way away from the fight between the Chans and the demons.

"That's it, guys! Let's make a run out of here and get to civilisation faster!" urged Chow, who out of the trio had been the most eager to escape.

"Dude, we're lost in the middle of nowhere!" whispered Finn harshly, gesturing around himself exasperatedly. "We could me miles away from any human being that is not one of the Chans! The demons are out there, they could even be in these woods, surrounding us, for all we know! We can't just run like madmen and risk being seen!"

"The Chans must be keeping the demons busy! Let's go before they – ow!"

"What?" asked Finn.

"Something hit me in the back," groaned Chow, trying to reach behind himself. "Damn, it hurt."

"Look! A marble! I used to play these when I was a boy," said Ratso, picking up a small, shiny orb.

Finn frowned at the little ball. It looked strangely familiar. "Dude, isn't that –" He was interrupted by an angry, hissy shriek coming from directly above their heads. They barely had time to look upwards and see a red-eyed bat-like demon zooming towards them before they stumbled out of its way. "Each man for himself!" shouted Finn, and they went each to a different direction. The flying demon completely ignored Finn and Chow and began to chase Ratso.

"The jewel!" he demanded.

"I think he's after this marble!" Finn heard Ratso shout.

"Thanks for the insightful newsflash, Ratso! We'd never have guessed it by ourselves!" retorted Finn sarcastically as he and Chow ran after them. They found him crouched protectively around the marble – jewel, more likely – while the demon he now recognised as Hsi Wu was on his back.

"Help!"

"Leave Ratso alone, you – you overgrown bat!" yelled Finn, lifting the biggest rock he found nearby and, with some difficulty, throwing it at the demon. Hsi Wu yelped when it hit him in the head and he turned to look angrily at his assailant.

"You will pay for that, mortal," he hissed, seemingly about to let Ratso go and attack Finn instead when there was a rumble and the ground began to shake. Then, there were sounds of explosions, snaps, and thuds. Something was approaching. They turned to the direction it was likely to come from.

"Oh, look, a little bird! Nice birdy," said Ratso pleasantly. No one paid him any attention, for almost immediately the others saw a confusing, furious mass of demons and super-powered humans about to run over them.

"Uh-oh," whispered Chow.

"Run, Ratso! Run!" shouted Finn at the top of his lungs as he turned around and ran.

"What?" asked Ratso in puzzlement. He then saw what was ahead and followed Finn's example.

oOo

Jack inwardly grinned while he flew as fast as he could – with a little help from the rabbit talisman – way above the woods. This time, with all the mayhem that ensued, no one had noticed the innocent little bird taking the jewel away after that weird-looking man had willingly given it to him.

_Now what? _he wondered. Getting rid of the jewel seemed the safest course of action, but how could he do it. At first, he thought of dropping it in an active volcano, but he had no idea where he could find one – he didn't even know if there were active volcanoes nearby. He didn't have the strength to crush it into pieces, either, if physical force could even be enough to destroy it in the first place. So, he figured that if he couldn't destroy it, he should at least hide it in a safe place for the mean time. Maybe Uncle could think of a way to destroy it later, when things were calmer. That was, if Uncle didn't get himself killed to banish that demon...

Where could he hide it? In truth, he didn't know if the demons could sense its presence. Well, he was in Hong Kong – or somewhere near it. Jade and the others had mentioned that Hong Kong was where Shendu's portal was located, and it also used to be part of his territory. If the demons did get to survive the fight and escape being imprisoned again, Shendu might want to stay around his old home. Now, what else did Jack know about Shendu?

He looked down at the sea he was flying over now. Of course, he thought. He was the fire demon; he probably hated water. Even if he did find out the location of the jewel, he would never dive in the water to go after it, nor would he ever ask anyone to go get it for him – not only he had his pride, but he certainly wouldn't want the others to have it when he wanted it for himself so badly.

_Bai Tsa might find it on her own, _he mused. Then, he shook his head. She would never take a stroll in her most hated brother's territory.

Making up his mind, he opened his beak and dropped the jewel into the sea.

oOo

"Where is the Hun Yu jewel?" roared Tchang Zu as he squeezed and shook Ratso.

"Gee, these guys have gone nuts," muttered Jade to herself. They were so obsessed with the jewel that they had completely forgotten that they couldn't touch it unless they had the tiger talisman, which had been left behind long ago.

"The... bird... took... it..." gasped Ratso.

"Bird? What bird?" asked Dai Gui.

Hsi Wu hissed angrily. "He's talking about Chan's spawn. He must have used the monkey talisman to turn into a bird."

"Jack! Oh, no..." murmured Viper. She looked around frantically.

"Shendu and his cursed talismans," muttered the Earth Demon.

Tchang Zu growled and his eyes glowed red as he thundered, "Find that boy and retrieve the Hun Yu jewel!"

"No need for that, Tchang Zu," came a childish, yet solemn voice. Jack stood facing the Thunder Demon, his face void of expression.

"_Where is it_?"

"I destroyed it."

"You what?" Mei Liang's eyes glowed and she stepped towards him threateningly.

Sensing the imminent danger, the boy wisely backed away and began to turn around to escape.

"Oh, no, you don't!" she hissed, about to pursue him. However, Uncle came to stand before her, blocking her way.

"If you wish to harm him, you will have to kill me first."

"As you wish," she snarled and hit him with her strong hand and letting her claws pierce his flesh. The humans winced and flinched. It had all been so sudden that it took them a moment to really register what had just happened. Jade stared at the blood gushing from Uncle's fatal wound as he was thrown aside nonchalantly by Mei Liang. The dragoness smirked slightly, already eyeing the frozen boy who had dared to destroy her precious jewel. "Foolish mortal," she whispered, idly licking the blood in her claws.

"Uncle..." Jade heard Jackie whisper shakily. She herself was still shocked; the gory scene was highly disturbing and she urged herself to look away, but she just couldn't help but stare as her mind screamed in denial. She felt her eyes burn and water.

"Tohru! Cast the spell, now!" said El Toro.

Tohru started, forced himself to look away from his dead master, and hesitantly began to chant the spell. Mei Liang looked at the Japanese man, horrified. She had been so obsessed with getting the jewel and then killing the one who had destroyed it that she had completely forgotten she shouldn't have fatally injured the old chi wizard.

She could already feel the initial effects of the spell. She held her head and screamed, but still found enough energy to try and escape. In apparent agony, she blindly ran away from Tohru and after Jack.

"After her!" urged El Toro. When Tohru faltered, he said, "Go! Don't let the sacrifice of your master be in vain! You are our only hope now!" That was enough to motivate Tohru into motion. Then, El Toro looked at Jackie, who was slowly approaching his uncle. He urgently placed his hand on the archaeologist's shoulder. "Jackie, I know you're grieving and I'm sorry, but your son needs you now."

"That's right, Jackie. He's in grave danger," said Viper quietly, holding his arm and gently pulling him away from Uncle. "Please, Jackie... we have to protect our son."

He opened and closed his mouth, confused. "I..."

"Well, well, well..." sniggered a demonic voice behind them. The humans turned to look at eight demon sorcerers. "Poor Chan," said Bai Tsa mockingly. "Lost your dear old uncle, did you?"

"Why don't we just put him out of his misery?" suggested Shendu. Po Kong chuckled and licked her lips.

Jade sneered at them and glared at Hsi Wu, mentally demanding him to do something. He merely shrugged, as if saying, "What can I do?" She glared harder.

"If you want me," said Jackie, his voice unusually deep and grave; he glared at the demons, narrowing his eyes, "come get me." He held out his hands to Viper and El Toro in a silent request for the talismans they carried. They complied, although Viper looked scared for her husband.

"Jackie..."

"Go help Jack. I can handle them – at least for a while," he whispered.

"Jackie, are you sure –?" she was cut off when he kissed her, briefly but lovingly. She stared at him and her stance suddenly became determined. She nodded at him. "I understand. Good luck."

"Aww, what a touching scene," said Xiao Fung, a smirk in his large lips.

"What the hell are you doing?" shouted Jade, but no one paid her any attention; Viper and El Toro had already left after Jack, Tohru, and Mei Liang, and Jackie was already jumping towards Shendu, his eyes glowing yellow as he gathered the power of the pig talisman. To Jade's surprise, the attack was more powerful than usual and it seemed to actually hurt Shendu, even if just a little. Perhaps Jackie had combined it with the ox talisman? Either way, Jade didn't have the time to ponder about that. "Hsi Wu!" she called while Jackie aimed many explosions at the demons and hit the closer ones with his bare fists.

The Sky Demon glided next to her. "What is it?"

"Take me to where the others went as fast as you can!"

He glanced at Jackie and his siblings, as if considering if he should leave them, and nodded. "All right," he said warily. He picked Jade up and took flight. After a while, Jade noticed that Bai Tsa and Tso Lan were also leaving the battle and heading in different directions.

"Where are they going?"

"How should I know?" he replied snappily. Then, seemingly more to himself than to Jade, he muttered, "Who knows? You can never know what my siblings are thinking. Even I never did fully understand them."

oOo

She knew she was screaming, but the only sounds she could hear were those of her ragged breathing and the beat of her heart. Her thoughts were muddled and her head ached terribly; she couldn't think straight. She tried to focus on one thing, then; kill the human who destroyed her jewel; kill the son of Jackie Chan!

She opened her eyes slightly and saw him through her blurry vision. They were out of the woods now, and the boy was still running from her. Wretched vermin. Even when she was in this condition, she could still catch up with him. Some of the agony in her body suddenly lessened, leading her to believe that the younger chi wizard had either given up or been left behind – probably the latter; he was out of shape, after all. Or, she realised, because she was already far enough from the sacrificed victim and out of reach of the spell.

There, it was her perfect opportunity; the little Chan had tripped again. Humans seemed to get more and more pathetic each passing day. She smirked maniacally and raised her hand, flexing her fingers, her claws begging for more blood; she would kill this boy even if it was the last thing she did. The next would be that fat wizard.

"Jack! Noooooo!" she heard a human female shriek. It was too late for them, though.

"Die!" roared Mei Liang, thrusting her hand forwards.

"No! Jack!"

All was still for a moment. Mei Liang heard the boy panting; his breathing never weakened or stopped. She frowned and realised through her pain-induced daze that her hand hadn't hit the boy, but something else, something invisible before him. A talisman – the snake talisman – appeared out of thin air and fell to the ground at the exact moment a tanned young man appeared next to it. She could see now that her claws had gone through his chest and stomach. A trickle of blood came from his mouth and he wavered slightly, his eyes becoming unfocused.

"P-Paco?" stuttered Jade.

"C-cast... the sp-spell..." he managed to choke out.

It was at this moment that Mei Liang noted the characters painted on his forehead and on his wrist.

"No! Noooo! It can't be!" she screamed, shaking her head in denial. Unfortunately, she could already hear the chanting behind her and feel the agony creeping back into her body. "I won't go back to that wretched place! I won't!"

_Focus, focus, focus_, the conscious part of her mind urged her. She shut her eyes tightly and gasped, all coherent thoughts escaping her mind.

There was a blinding flash of light, and then all the pain was gone.

oOo

Jack shut his eyes tight as a very bright light seemed to take over the entire scenery, followed by a deafening rumble. Then, as quickly as it had started, it was over. All was silent again, and he tentatively opened his eyes to see not Paco or Mei Liang before him, but a teary-eyed Jade.

"Love me... he said... he said," she sobbed and fell to her knees, covering her face. "Paco... why...? Uncle... Jackie..."

His attention was caught by a few gasps. He looked up and couldn't help but gasp as well. Was it a ghost, or was he hallucinating? Or maybe...

A wrinkled, frail hand rested on Jade's shaking shoulder. She slowly looked up and back and her jaw dropped.

"Uncle...?"

_**

* * *

To be continued... **_

Many thanks to **Regrem Erutaerc**, **cookiekitten**, **VampireNaomi**, **Dragolover1**, **Lloyd Marshall**, **kke**, **Blackwargreymon X**, and **Shadow Priesstes**. Wow, it's been a long time! I wonder how many of you are still reading this?


	32. Aftermath

– **CHAPTER 32 –**

_**Aftermath**_

"B-but how...?" stuttered Jack.

"I'm sorry, Jade. It should have been me." Even when she shook her head feverishly, Uncle went on, "I had suspicions that he would want to do something like that. But when I realised what was going on, it was too late."

"Sensei," said Tohru, who had approached his master in disbelief. He touched the old man's back and shoulder as if trying to see if he was real. "How can you still be alive? We – we all saw when the demon..." he trailed off.

"She didn't kill me instantly. I am not sure what happened exactly, but when I came round, I was completely healed and had this in my hand," he said, displaying the horse talisman he held in his other hand.

"That idiot," Jade sobbed. "He had planned it all along... That's why we didn't see him during most of the fight. He collected the snake talisman so that he could paint the characters for the ritual on himself. And he saved you, Uncle."

He just nodded in response.

"Why?" she yelled, suddenly angry. "Why did he do that? Th-the – the idiot!"

"I'm sorry, Jade," said Uncle regretfully. "It should have been me –"

"No!" she cut him off vehemently. "No, it shouldn't have been you, or Jackie, or Paco, or anyone else! I swore to myself that I wouldn't let any of you die here, today! It didn't have to be that way!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. She coughed and began to cry again. Uncle pulled her into a comforting embrace, which she returned heartily.

A few metres away, Jack saw Hsi Wu watch this scene, looking very out of place, dejected, disgusted, and even a little offended. Finally, with a quiet, angry hiss, he spread his wings out and flew away.

Before Jack could have another thought, he was caught in a tight, warm hug, his face pressed against someone's shoulder. "Oh, Jack, my son! I was so worried... It'll be all right now," his mother went on whispering relieved and comforting words.

"Mom... where is Dad?" he asked. "Is he okay?"

She tensed and was silent for a while, but then relaxed and gave a brief, weak, yet happy-sounding laugh. "Yes, I think he'll be all right."

"Jackie!" exclaimed Jade. Jack gently tried to pull away from his mother in order to turn around and see his father coming out of the woods and staggering towards them. His shirt was torn and bloodied in a few places and he had bruises all over his body, but nothing that looked serious.

"Are you all right, Jackie?" asked Tohru.

"What you did was crazy! Facing all the demons at once all by yourself..." said Jade in a scolding tone, although she was still visibly shaken. She wiped her tear-streaked face and smiled faintly at her uncle, who returned it. "But you still kicked their butts. You totally rock, Jackie."

"Thanks, but I didn't really defeat the demons, Jade. I was mostly just buying time."

"Buying time for what, exactly?" asked Viper.

"For Paco," he whispered, his gaze on his feet. He hesitated before addressing his niece, "I'm sorry, Jade. While you were all paying attention to the demons, Paco came to me, invisible with the power of the snake talisman, and said he could save Uncle."

Jade stared at him, holding her breath. Then, "You _knew_ what he was going to do?"

"No," he answered quickly, giving her an apologetic look. "But I had my suspicions. He merely told to keep the demons away from Uncle's body, to keep them busy for a while."

"What happened to the demons?"

"To tell the truth, even now I'm not sure. I think they want to finish their own conflicts before they try to team up against us. They're... a dysfunctional family, it seems."

Despite herself, Jade laughed.

"El Toro..." murmured Viper, and they turned to watch the Mexican man who had just started to walk away, staring straight ahead, his fists clenched.

"Mom," said Jack, leaning against Viper's embrace. "I wanna go home."

He felt his father's hand on his head, petting him reassuringly. "We're going home now, Jack, don't worry." He gestured at the others. "Come, let's go to the jet."

oOo

Valmont cradled his daughter in his arms, for once not caring in the slightest if his suit got stained and dirty. Julia was, by some miracle, still breathing, although it was laboured and sounded quite painful. She was choking in her own blood, coughing up some of it. Valmont hadn't been able to fathom how she could still be alive, until he saw a talisman in her hand. Since then, he'd been making sure she didn't let go of it, lest she would die immediately.

"Let... go..." she mumbled and coughed up more blood. Her fingers strained to move and drop the talisman.

"No, no, you can't drop it," he told her in an urgent, soft tone, wrapping her hand with his own to hold the talisman in place. "If you let go of it, you will die."

She choked again. "Jus' lemme... 'ie – die..."

"Why?"

She whimpered. "I' – it hurs... hurts..." she hacked.

Of course, he figured. The dog talisman granted her immortality, but it didn't heal her or even dull the pain of a wound. Her heart was literally shattered and her lungs were drowned in blood. She pain she must be feeling was unimaginable. For a moment, he wondered if he shouldn't just take the dog talisman from her and let her die, to put an end to her agony. His hand trembled and he found he couldn't bring himself to let her go.

He looked up at Bai Tsa, who had been standing nearby for a while, just observing them as if watching a mildly interesting film. He desperately, silently begged her to do something, anything. She seemed slightly surprised that he was looking at her, of all people and demons, for help. Instead of showing any further reaction, she merely appeared to notice something far ahead.

He lowered his gaze again, cursing himself for his foolishness. It was bad enough he was looking this helpless and broken in front of the heartless Water Demon, but to beg her for help, and actually expect she would help him?

Someone cleared their throat behind him and he looked over his shoulder to see Jade Chan standing uneasily next to Bai Tsa. She waved at him awkwardly. "Hi. Sorry, I almost forgot about Julia." His daughter chose that moment to choke and cough again. Jade flinched. "Gee, that sounds nasty. Here." She produced another talisman – the horse – and knelt down next to them. "Now that she's more or less conscious, she can squeeze the talisman and heal herself."

Since Valmont had his hands occupied, Jade herself made Julia hold it.

"Come on, Julia," said Valmont encouragingly when her hand continued lifeless. He gave her a wry smile. "Pretend the talisman is Dad's neck."

Jade gave him an odd look, but he only kept smiling. After some struggle, Julia finally managed to squeeze the horse talisman tightly enough to activate it. She gasped, her eyes snapped open, and she jerked up.

"What happened? Where am I?" she asked, glancing around before focusing on Valmont and frowning. "Dad?"

"Julia! I'm so glad you're all right!" he said, holding her close.

"Uff! Ow! Dad, let go!" she protested, trying to wiggle free. Although it disconcerted him that his own daughter still found him so revolting, Valmont was pleased that she was back to herself. Finally, he relaxed and allowed her to step back. "What is with you, Dad? You were never the touchy-feeling type."

"Hey, I bet you have never been at death's door before, either," said Jade good-naturedly.

Immediately, Julia's eyes became cold, and Valmont mentally cursed the Chan girl for bringing it up.

"As a matter of fact, I have."

Jade's eyebrows shot up and she looked genuinely amazed. "Wow, really? Tell me about it," she said curiously. Valmont was appalled when she even had the gall to sit down and make herself comfortable.

"Oh, I will, as soon as you tell _me_ why I'm covered in blood and being smothered by my own father."

The Chan girl blinked. "Don't you remember?"

Warily, Julia shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Just as well," said Valmont, giving Jade a pointed glare. "I worry enough about her mental state as it is. She doesn't need any more bad memories."

"Did you just call me crazy, Dad?" asked Julia. Valmont and Jade were having a stare down contest, however, and did not hear her. The Chan's eyes acquired a determined gleam, though they were also suddenly bright with tears.

"As bad as the memories of this day are to me, I would never want to forget them," she said. "I will never forget Paco's sacrifice... or his last words."

"It is very strange, though," remarked Bai Tsa, startling both Jade and Valmont. They had completely forgotten her presence. They looked at her as she glanced around cautiously and hissed quietly. "I don't think the spell worked. There is something wrong."

"What? What do you mean, it didn't work?" asked Jade frantically. "We all saw that bright light and then Paco and Mei Liang were gone and... and..."

"It is just a feeling," said the Water Demon. "Besides, the boy's body should not have vanished as well."

"He must have been taken along with Mei Liang's body. They were kinda –" Jade grimaced "– stuck to each other, after all."

Bai Tsa shook her head. "That should not matter. I still think she managed to escape, somehow."

"Can you feel her presence?" asked Valmont.

"No. Mei Liang is no longer in this realm, that much I can tell. But that does not mean she is dead."

"How can we be sure?" asked Jade.

"You should ask Shendu or Tso Lan. They are more familiar with that spell."

"Tch! Yeah, right, as if I would ask _them_." After a pause, Jade said, "But if Mei Liang really is alive somewhere, do you think Paco could be... alive too?"

Before Bai Tsa could reply, Julia spoke, "I... I remember now." They all turned to look at her. The little girl sighed, her head down. "I remember the demon called Mei Liang... and the Hun Yu jewel."

_Brilliant, _thought Valmont sarcastically, with a sigh of his own. He should have known better than to let Jade Chan and Bai Tsa talk about the recent events in front of Julia.

"Why did you do that, Julia?" asked Jade gently.

Julia took a deep breath. Valmont could feel her tremble in his arms, and held her close again. "I – I just wanted my mum back. I've been trying to find a way to bring her back for _years_. Ever since I read about a jewel with nearly unlimited powers, I've longed to find it, but it was out of my reach. But then I met Shendu and I thought he could get it for me. And he did. I had it all planned. It was perfect!"

"No, it was not," snapped Bai Tsa. "It was foolish! Do you have any idea what you were doing? That was bordering dark magic!"

"What!" shouted Valmont, paling, his voice cracking. He opened his mouth to scold Julia about meddling with something as dangerous as dark magic, but his daughter's quiet sobs stopped him.

"I... just wanted her back," she whispered, her shoulders heaving. Valmont sighed again, more heavily, and looked away uneasily, not knowing what to do or say to comfort her. He had never been that good at comforting people, and he had the feeling that he would just make matters worse by talking to her, considering how much she seemed to hate him.

To his astonishment, it was Jade Chan who leant forwards to save them both, "Hey, Julia, don't cry, we're not mad at you. I know how hard it is to lose someone you love." She bowed her head as well and was a silent for a moment, before going on, "But I'm sure she's –"

"You can stop now, Jade," said Julia brusquely, wiping her tears before looking up, doing her best to look composed as she fixed the Chan girl with a hard look. "I've already heard enough of all that rubbish from Finn, Ratso, and Chow. 'You gotta move on,' 'She's in a better place now,' 'She wouldn't want you to be miserable like this for the rest of your life.' I don't want to hear it anymore. I'm fine, so just leave me be."

Jade hesitated. "I can tell you're not fine, Julia, but if I'm upsetting you, then I'll leave you alone. Just... one more thing," she smiled suddenly, as if remembering something amusing. "I know Valmont mustn't be the best dad in the world – actually, I'm sure he's pretty bad –" her smile widened into a grin as she caught Valmont's death glare, "– but give him a chance. I can tell he's trying. That's a... start, I guess." She shrugged, stood up and waved at them. "Bye!" she said and turned to leave.

All was silent for a long moment, only broken by Julia's impatient voice, "You can let me go now, _Dad_."

oOo

The demons glared hatefully at each other as they gathered where the battle against Mei Liang had taken place. After the Chans had left, Tso Lan had sent Hsi Wu to search for the other demons and announce that the he was requesting a meeting. The sun had already set among the mountains in the horizon by the time Hsi Wu managed to find all his siblings. Tchang Zu, Shendu, and Dai Gui had been fighting one another and were now bruised and a little bloodied, but had no serious injuries. Po Kong and Xiao Fung had been found in the nearest city, at a restaurant, having been starving since they'd come to China.

"What in the Netherworld was that?" shouted Bai Tsa angrily. "I cannot believe you almost ruined everything! You have all lost your minds!"

"You have no right to accuse us, Bai Tsa!" snapped Shendu.

"That is right. You were after the jewel, as well," said Tchang Zu.

"You began to fight each other and let Chan escape!"

"That is not quite what happened!" protested Shendu.

"And why did most of you run away in the middle of the fight?" questioned Dai Gui, glancing at the siblings in question.

"I supposed one or two of you would have been enough to fight Chan. It was unnecessary for all eight of us to remain when a much more dangerous enemy was still in the loose," said Tso Lan evenly.

"Po Kong and Xiao Fung went to the city to _eat_!"

"This family is a disgrace! No wonder Chan always defeats you!" roared Tchang Zu.

"If I remember correctly, he has defeated _you_ as well!" said Hsi Wu.

"Hey, weren't we supposed to be working together?" said Xiao Fung.

"Yes, and rule the world together once more," said Bai Tsa, glaring at Tchang Zu. "But you intended to betray us so that you could rule it all by yourself and make us your servants!"

"Of course! I refuse to share the world with you fools!" thundered Tchang Zu. "You have ashamed our family and lost the right to call yourselves demons. You are no longer my equals!"

"What right do you have to say that? You are the one who double-crossed your own family!"

"Hypocritical backstabber," spat Shendu.

"You are fine one to talk, aren't you, Shendu?"

"Enough!" yelled Bai Tsa. "I am sick and tired of you. I am leaving now, and, hopefully, we will never see each other again."

"Until you come back to your senses, I suggest we all go separate ways. Farewell, brethren," said Tso Lan softly, coldly, before leaving with his younger sister. Hsi Wu hissed and flew away in the opposite direction.

Once they were far enough from the others, Tso Lan and Bai Tsa stopped and stood next to each other for a while, both watching the now starry sky and the moon. Valmont and Julia stood a few steps back, watching them quietly and impassively.

"What a decline," muttered Bai Tsa.

"Indeed. It is unsurprising, though. In fact, it is a wonder this family did not fall apart a long time ago. It was bond to happen from the beginning."

"I wonder what we did wrong."

"Meditate over that, my sister, and perhaps you shall get the answers. Learn from the mistakes of the past."

She half-growled, half-groaned in exasperation, "Why do you always talk like that?"

He did not respond to that, but asked after a pause, "What are you going to do now?"

She closed her eyes and whispered, "I missed the sea – still do, in fact. When I was swimming here, I felt I could have continued there for the rest of eternity." She opened her eyes and glanced at her brother. "I can't go back to Atlantis; it is in ruins now. It's painful to watch. However, there is still at least one place with good memories for me."

"I see."

"You are going back to your own element, I presume?"

"You presume correctly."

Intriguingly, she exchanged an amused glance with the man behind them. When she looked at Tso Lan again, she was trying hard to hold back a smile – and failing miserably. Humour coloured her voice as she said, "If you have too many unwished guests, you are welcome to my place for at least a few weeks, Brother. I wouldn't want one of the only sensible members of the family to be driven insane, after all."

Tso Lan frowned, giving her an inquisitive glance. He did not really understand what she had meant by that, and it pained him that Bai Tsa knew something that he did not. "Unwished guests?" _Spirits, perhaps?_

"Have you ever seen a rocket?" she asked innocently.

"I might have read about it somewhere."

"What about artificial satellites?" asked the human man rather smugly, adding insult to injury. Tso Lan turned to glare at him. "I will be fine in the moon; any intruders will be taken care of, so trouble yourself not with me." He then turned back to Bai Tsa. "In any case, what is _he_ doing here? I would have thought he would have attempted to escape at the first opportunity."

"He knows I would have gone after him – and found him."

As though to confirm that, Valmont folded his arms and put on his best long-suffering, resigned expression.

After a minute of silence, Bai Tsa frowned and spoke again, "I do wonder what happened to the Hun Yu jewel?"

Her curious eyes met his angry ones. Yet another thing he did not know the answer to. This really was not his day.

* * *

_**Epilogue**_

"Pregnant?" said Jackie in disbelief to the phone. "H-how can that be?" His astonished gaze fell upon Uncle.

"Uncle will not explain the birds and the bees to you again, Jackie," said the old man, raising his gaze from the book he had been reading. "You should know it by now, anyway; you have a son."

"Uncle!" exclaimed Jackie, horrified as well as angry, casting a quick glance at Jack. "I was just told my niece is pregnant! This is no time for jokes!" He paused and, back to the phone, he said uncertainly, "This isn't a joke, is it?"

"No," came Viper's reply. "Jade mentioned that she had been feeling sick in the morning. I got suspicious and told her to take the test. It was positive. She... also asked me to keep it a secret until now."

"Is that why she left? Why? Why even keep it a secret? Did she think I would..." he trailed off as a horrible thought occurred to him. The demons had kidnapped her and kept her prisoner for quite a long time. What if one of them had forced himself on her?

"She knew that if we'd told while she was here, you would fuss over her," said Viper, oblivious to Jackie's distress. "I guess she wants some time for herself. She was very upset over Paco's death... especially since Paco's the father."

"Oh..." Jackie closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. "I – I see," he said faintly. "That makes sense, then. I think. I just wish she would have let us help her."

"I know. Maybe she'll be feeling better in a few weeks, so – ah, just a sec." Jackie heard her muffled voice speaking to someone else briefly. "Jackie? I have to go now. We'll talk later, okay? Bye, love you."

"Love you too. Bye." He hung up and turned to Uncle, who had been watching his nephew carefully. "Uncle, Jade is pregnant!"

"I gathered that much. Seeing as you only have one niece, I did not think you were talking about another," said Uncle gruffly.

"Viper said Paco was the father."

"Jade is going to have a baby?" asked Jack. At Jackie's nod, he looked excited. "Wow! Is it going to be a boy or a girl?"

"We don't know that yet, Jack. It's still too early to tell." _Though, by the looks of it, I don't think Jade would tell us even if she did know, _he added mentally.

Uncle frowned and glanced around. "Where is that lousy apprentice?" he asked and then shouted, "Tohruuu!"

"Coming, Sensei!" The Japanese man hurried down the stairs, nearly stumbling at one point. The three Chans blinked and stared at him. He was dressed in a suit and was carrying a bouquet of roses in his left hand. Noticing the odd stares, he stopped and prompted worriedly, "Sensei?"

"Where did you get that suit?" asked Jack.

"Tohru, what is the meaning of this?" his master demanded to know. Tohru looked away, fingered his tie, and rubbed the back of his head, blushing slightly.

"I, um, I have a date."

"Ah... really?" As surprised as he was, Jackie still managed to sound almost casual. "Who is she?"

"S-she's, ah..." He checked his watch and looked even more flustered as he headed to the door, stuttering, "E-excuse me, I have to go now. I'm late!"

oOo

Xiao Fung opened his mouth, his head tilted back, and let all the popcorn in his bowl drop into it. Next to him, Po Kong did the same. He grabbed the remote control and began switching the channels on the TV.

"Modern humans sure know how to have fun," he commented.

"And how to make eating even better that it already is," added his sister.

"But staying here is getting a little boring. We've spent, what, weeks in this city. It doesn't have anything new to offer anymore. I want to go visit some other places. Like, uh, like Brazil! I've heard it's paradise; cheery music, dance, beer, beaches, _sexy women_..." he grinned.

"Why don't you just go, then?" she asked him impatiently, throwing her now empty bowl aside. The entire floor was covered in a mess of empty snacks wrappings and bits of food, but neither of them cared about it.

"Don't you want to come with me?"

"No. I have my own plans. The only place I intend to visit in the near future is my homeland." She took her human form, wearing a rather elegant dress and some makeup. "Do I look good?"

He shrugged, his attention having already returned to the TV. Po Kong went to the bathroom so that she could look in the mirror and make sure she looked presentable.

"I'll be out all afternoon and maybe all night as well, so don't wait for me," she told her brother when she returned to the living room.

"I wasn't going to, anyway," he said dismissively, then finally seemed to notice her for the first time. "Where are you going? Is it a date?"

"How perceptive of you, Brother. Yes, it is a date. And if I am any lucky, I will get to learn many interesting things about the Chans, such as their weakness."

Even after she left without another word, Xiao Fung could just stare at where she had been standing for a while, his jaw slightly dropped. Had she really said what he thought she had said? If so, that meant she was going out with...

He grinned and sat back comfortably on the couch, pleased and proud.

"Sister Po Kong is so clever. Too bad the others underestimate her so."

oOo

Valmont sighed and gazed at the sky, leaning over the balcony of his luxurious room in a hotel. He wondered why the Demon Water had insisted on coming to Rome. Not that he disliked the idea (so far); he had always liked Italy and had many acquaintances here, and it was certainly safer than San Francisco. Of course, he would have to abandon most – if not all – of his criminal activities for a while, which meant no money incoming.

He heard a soft splash behind him and did not even have to turn and look to know it was Bai Tsa. He resolutely kept his eyes on the dark sky and tried to look indifferent. Right next to him, a blue-haired woman leant on the balcony to watch the moon. Reflexively, Valmont also looked at it.

"I wonder if Brother Tso Lan has already gone mad with those things the humans keep sending to the moon. Even when we were children, he would always hide there to escape the insanity of our family."

He glanced at her and cursed himself when he found himself unable to prevent his eyes from lowering to her rather revealing neckline. "I imagine being related to Shendu wasn't easy," muttered Valmont when he could finally tear his gaze away from her.

"We all hated him for it, we wished there was a way to disturb his peaceful little world." She smirked and lowered her gaze so as to watch the streets and people below. "Rome was a beautiful place in the Ancient Times. It still is. So many buildings were preserved. That is good."

He tapped his fingers on the balcony. Why was she here, pretending to want to make idle chat with him? "Would you get to the point?"

She looked puzzled, but couldn't hold back an amused smile. "Excuse me?"

"Why do you keep following me?" he snapped. "Why have you become so obsessed with me? You didn't want anything to do with me when we first met!"

"When we first met, Shendu was in your body. Next time we saw each other, you were green and scaly." She sneered, as if the last words had summoned a very sickening mental image. "Green and scaly brings me back very bad memories."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Of what?"

"Dhai Jiang," she shuddered at the name and proceeded to mutter something in what sounded like Latin. "My disgusting excuse of a fiancé. He was a lizard demon."

"What did he do for you to hate him so much?"

"He existed. Oh, and tried to molest me – on a regular basis. Completely obsessed with me."

He smirked and tried to stifle a chuckle. "Now you know how I feel when you."

She blinked at him innocently and said a sickly sweet tone, "Why, Valmont, do you find me repulsive?"

"What do you think?" he snapped at her. "You're a demon! You think I'm your servant!" Disgusted, he stormed out of the balcony and into his room.

oOo

Bai Tsa quietly followed the blond man into the room, pausing and stepping back to inconspicuously watch him from the doorway as he sat down on the bed and took a deep, tired breath. She felt her heart flutter when, oblivious to her presence, he untied his hair and began to unbutton his suit. She watched each of his movements avidly, her eyes lingering on his well-toned muscles when he took his shirt off. Her hands twitched with the sudden urge to touch him, to _feel_ him.

Taking a liquid form, she crossed the room by going under the bed and reappeared in her human form right behind the man. She leant over him, her chin nearly resting on his shoulder. "You know, you never did tell me your first name. It feels odd to call you by a surname all the time." She brought her arms around him and pulled him close to her chest, hearing his breath hitch and noting how tense he suddenly got. She let her hands travel over his chest slowly, fervently, her forehead pressed against his soft hair. Abruptly, she pulled away and got up, firmly holding his face so that he had to get up as well. They stood face-to-face, her hands cupping his face, their noses almost touching and their eyes staring deeply into each other's.

"Oh, Lord," he whispered faintly to himself, his eyes wide.

"I want you, and I will have you, whether you like it or not," she hissed, letting her hands slip to his shoulders. "So you will tell me your name _now_."

He swallowed several times and looked like he was trying to look away, but his eyes refused to leave her face. Finally, he closed his eyes and said, "Julian."

"What?" she asked, frowning.

He gulped again and said slowly, "My name is Julian. Julian Valmont." He looked pained.

She smirked. That poor girl, having been named after her hated father, of all people. With long, slender fingers, she brushed a lock of his silvery hair. "What? Don't you like your name?"

"No, not really..."

"Shame. I quite like it." She stroked his cheek. "And now that I know it, we can do what I have been longing to do for a long time. Something that I haven't done since I was sent to the Netherworld."

"Wh-what –" she cut him off with an abrupt, passionate, almost violent, kiss, her tongue exploring his mouth, tasting him. Before he could recover his wits to either return it or try to escape, she dug her nails into his shoulders and shoved him onto the bed. She knelt down on it and crawled to him until she was over him, her body brushing his. She kissed him again, and, this time, he returned it ardently. To her slight surprise and great satisfaction, he also began to feel her body and try to get her clothes off. She smirked again.

"Not so repulsive now, am I?" she asked him breathlessly, her face as flushed as his.

"No, not really," he gasped before kissing her again.

oOo

Tso Lan opened his eyes and looked up, his tongue whipping the air as his irritation increased. The moon wasn't as peaceful as it used to be. His meditation was constantly interrupted by those strange devices that the humans sent to the moon. When would they learn that he wanted to be left alone?

After destroying one of the so-called satellites, he stood up from his rather comfortable spot and floated away from that region. He came to a halt when he saw what looked like a flag – it had red and white stripes and a blue square with stars. His eyes glowed in anger. How dare they! With a simple wave of his hand, he tore the flagpole out of the ground and threw it into the space.

Cursed humans.

After a few minutes wandering, he stopped, glanced around, and – seeing no more devices – sat down. He didn't immediately close his eyes to resume his meditation, however, but looked at the blue planet called Earth dispassionately, as though it were to blame for the existence of the human race. It was quite a nice world and all of his siblings lived there, but if the humans kept invading his territory with those blasted satellites, rockets, and flags, he would seriously reconsider his early plans to move the moon and consequently destroy Earth.

He frowned and narrowed his eyes. His head had been aching for a while. He glared at the sun, cursing its excessive brightness, and stood up again. Perhaps he should go to the dark side of the moon.

oOo

With a wince and a yelp, Finn dropped his chopsticks in the bowl of noodles and began to heave, his eyes watering. "It's too hot!" he complained, though it ended up sounding more like, "Ish 'oo haw'!"

"Of course it is," Chow told him. "That's why you gotta eat it _very_ fast. Slurping."

"You're joking, right?"

"Can't we just wait until it cools down a little?" asked Ratso, looking at his own soup of noodles as if it were poison after Finn's little display.

"No."

"Ow, I can't feel my tongue..." moaned Finn, a hand over his mouth.

Chow ignored the both of them and continued eating his noodles.

"You know, Hong Kong isn't that bad," said Ratso after spending the past few minutes blowing on his soup.

"Yeah, well, as long as the other kinds of food don't burn your tongue into ashes, I guess it's an okay enough place," said Finn.

"How do we go back to San Francisco, though?" wondered Chow.

Suddenly, Finn's face brightened. "Say, what if we _don't_ go back to San Francisco and stay here in Hong Kong?" At the other two men's baffled stares, he went on, "Just think about it! We could start over, find new jobs..."

"Hmm..."

"Come on, what've we got to lose?"

"Maybe it's not a bad idea," conceded Chow.

"What do you think, Ratso?"

"Hey, isn't that Hak Foo?"

"Huh?" Both Finn and Chow turned to look in the direction Ratso was pointing and, sure enough, the Black Tiger was just entering the restaurant. He didn't walk so much as marched to the bar and ordered something in Chinese.

"Hey, Hak! Long time no see!" greeted Finn.

"It's been a while. How've you been?" said Ratso.

"What are you doing here in Hong Kong?" asked Chow.

Hak Foo turned his head to face the three other enforcers and scowled.

"I was told Valmont was here," he answered.

"Well, yeah, he was. How'd you find out?" said Finn. When the warrior refused to answer, he cleared his throat and went back to the original topic, "I don't think he's still here, though. The demons must've taken him back to San Fran."

"They have not," said Hak Foo.

"Well, then..." Chow exchanged glances with his companions. "Then we have no idea where he is now."

"He could be anywhere in the world right now, from Alaska to the Fiji islands!" said Finn.

Hak Foo looked so disappointed (for Hak Foo, which really wasn't that much) over going back to square one and failing his master that Finn was momentarily taken aback. It was an odd expression for the Black Tiger. He wondered if he should be afraid that the warrior would commit a suicidal ritual to retrieve his honour or some garbage like that.

"Hey, me and the guys were thinking about starting over here in Hong Kong. If you have nowhere else to go, you could come with us."

"A splendid idea," answered not Hak Foo, but a new voice right behind them, scaring the daylights out of the first three enforcers.

"Wh-who are you?" stuttered Chow, his glasses slipping down his nose as his eyes widened. The blond man who had spoken appeared quite ordinary, except for the fact his green eyes glowed red when they all turned to look at him.

"Shendu? Is that you?" said Finn in disbelief. "What are _you_ doing in Hong Kong?"

"In case this small detail has escaped your mind, this is my territory."

"Ah, but wasn't that a long time ago?" said Ratso.

"Silence!" hissed the disguised dragon. He then smirked. "I am quite aware of the fact you are not the most competent men in the world, but at least we already know each other and I have something to start with."

"What are you talking about?"

Shendu chuckled and drummed his fingers in a very Mr. Burns-like way. "How would you like to work for the next great crime lord?"

"Say what?" said Chow.

Finn laughed uncertainly. "Do you even know how to be a crime lord?"

Shendu sneered, his eyes clouding and glowing. He looked like he was recalling unpleasant memories. "I did much more than serve as decoration for Valmont's office when I was trapped in the form of statue. You wouldn't believe how much one can learn by just watching a crime lord work." He snapped out of his flashback and focused on the four men again. "So, will you work for me?" he asked with a polite tone, but the men could still hear the threat lying behind it. They exchanged a glance. Could they actually refuse and still live to see another day?

Finn didn't think so.

oOo

Jade heard the window of her room open and immediately knew Hsi Wu had finally found her. She sighed and rose from her sprawled position on the bed. Crouched on the windowsill, the Sky Demon had a stern expression on his face, his eyes hard as he glared at Jade.

"Why did you run away?" he asked her.

"I didn't run away, just came back home," she said simply.

"I thought San Francisco was your home. Didn't you hate Hong Kong?"

She lay down again, her gaze fixed on the ceiling vacantly. "Nope, it's nice here."

"Did you know Shendu is here in Hong Kong?"

"Tch! See if I care..." She closed her eyes.

"It is just a matter of time until he finds you, and then he will undoubtedly come to kill you."

She began to hum unperturbedly.

Hsi Wu hissed in irritation. "Fine! Be that way, then! Anyway, I'm not here to warn you about Shendu."

"Oh, reaaaaly?"

"Will you stop that?" he snapped. "What is wrong with you? Oh, wait, I know." He leapt into the room and stepped close to her, his eyes glowing red as he sniffed. "Yes, I can smell it now. You're pregnant with that mortal's spawn," he spat the last word.

"First of all, 'that mortal' has a name, Hsi Wu, and it's _Paco_. Second, the 'spawn' you speak of is not his, it's yours, you moron!"

He hissed and grabbed her head with one hand, making her yelp in surprise. "What did you say?"

"Exactly what you heard, unless you're going deaf!"

"So you say, and yet..." He looked at one picture of Paco that Jade had brought from San Francisco, resting on her nightstand. Releasing her head, he took the frame in his hand and sneered at the picture. "You have been tremendously upset over his death, and now you treat me like an enemy."

"You have yourself to blame for that! You did nothing to help us in the fight."

"What could I have done? I can't go against all my brothers and sisters!"

"Maybe you can't. Maybe you could have done nothing, after all. But I still have the feeling you wouldn't have done anything to help even if you could."

"That doesn't seem a very fair logic."

"Life isn't fair."

"You should have still come to me to talk about my child! You belong to me, Jade, and so naturally does he."

"_Your_ child? Belong to you?" She got up from the bed. "Neither I nor _my_ child belong to you – or to anyone, for that matter. I am no one's property!"

"You are, have been since you let yourself be taken by me!"

"It was practically a one-night stand!"

"With significant repercussions," he pointed at her belly. She covered it with her hands protectively. "And it wasn't only 'one night'."

"So that's what I am to you? A property, a... a pleasure tool?" Just pronouncing those words disgusted her, and she was left with a bitter taste in her mouth.

"It was never anything else, Jade. What did you think I wanted you for?"

"You said you loved me!"

"Foolish, naïve girl," he sneered. "You should know that my concept of 'lover' is rather different from yours. To demons, 'love' does not equal 'happy feelings' or any of that nonsense, but it is mostly lust. That's basically all there's to it." She was so taken aback and incredulous that she didn't even back away or protest when he approached her until they were almost touching. His voice was now taunting, "Don't be so appalled, Jade. You cannot censure me when you did just the same thing."

"I never –"

"Don't lie to me, and don't lie to yourself! You never loved me, Jade. You loved the danger, the _thrill_ of getting involved with a demon, a mortal enemy of your family at that. Your rebel self just couldn't let such an opportunity pass, could it?"

She shook her head in denial. No, it wasn't like that at all. Hsi Wu was just trying to mess with her head, to shift the blame onto her. "That's... not true." Yet, the words sounded hollow even to her own ears.

"But, deep down, you knew all along that you loved not me, but that mortal... _Paco_." He kept his eyes closed for a moment, reflectively. "Demons' law says we should kill any rebelling lover. I won't kill you, though." He glanced at her stomach again, a calculating flash in his eyes contrasting with his impassive expression. "This could be very interesting."

"Get out!" she screamed. "Leave me alone! I don't want to see you ever, ever again!"

"Unfortunately for you, Jade, humans sometimes don't get what they want. Demons, on the other hand, usually do. I will leave now, but believe me when I say we will meet again, sooner than you think." He threw the picture against the wall with all his might, shattering the frame and the glass in it. Then, he leapt onto the windowsill and jumped out.

Jade stomped up to the window and yelled, "You bastard!" at the top of her lungs, leaving her with a sore throat and a headache. She closed the window shut and hurried to retrieve the fallen picture. She caressed it, looking at the smiling face of the tanned Mexican boy and his brown eyes.

That night, she sat in the dark at her desk, in front of her laptop. She was determined to tell someone about her theory. It was also time to contact her family, her parents as well as her Jackie and everyone else at Uncle's shop. She still felt terrible for lying about her child's parentage, taking advantage of Paco's death even after he sacrificed himself to save her, all because she was too afraid to confess she had had an affair with a demon. She felt even worse after talking to Hsi Wu earlier that day. She was disgusted with herself. How could she have let that demon play with her feelings and deceive her _yet_ _again_?

She sighed. He had been right, though; it had been partly her fault, as well. She should have known better. _It's just that – it just felt so good! To be by his side, to be held by his strong arms while they glided above the clouds and closer to the beautiful stars... _

Yet, the demon's touch and words had never made her heart warm and flutter like Paco's last words had. His last words, said to her and her only, to be treasured and cherished forever.

_Jade... I love you._

Ever since that fateful day, she had been dreaming of him every night. She just wished she could remember them. When she woke up, she would always forget what had happened in them and could only recall blurry, vague images.

The room got suddenly darker and Jade noticed that she had been so lost in thought that the screensaver was now on. Okay, time to stop dreaming and get down to business.

Who should she tell about her theory first? There was no way she was going to ask Shendu! Uncle might be able to give her an educated opinion on it. She then remembered El Toro and how depressed he had been ever since Paco's supposed death.

She began to type.

_¡Hola, El Toro! ¿Qué tal? (first thing we learn to say in Spanish classes)_

_I don't know if any of the other guys has talked to you about me... If they showed any concern for my health (mental or physical), they probably exaggerated a lot. I'm fine, really, I'm having a great time here in Hong Kong. I admit I kinda missed it here. Of course, San Fran is still WAY better! I think I'll go back there next month..._

_I have many things I need to tell, well, everyone. Even now, the very thought makes me cringe. I screwed up big time. I hope no one hates me when they find out... But this is another story, for another time._

_Anyway, I've been thinking about that day when we fought Mei Liang and the other demons. This may sound crazy, but I don't really think Paco is dead. There is a slight possibility that he's alive in some other realm. Bai Tsa (one of the demons) said she's pretty sure that there was something wrong with the spell. I thought long and hard about what she said and did some research. (Gee, now I sound like Uncle!) And yes, that's the real reason why I came to Hong Kong. I did NOT run away!_

_I didn't want Jackie and the others to know because they would have thought I was desperate and in denial or something. I won't go into details, but from what I gathered, yes, there's a chance Paco's alive. I mean, we never did see his body, now did we? I'm telling you, he was totally taken to another dimension! And although his injury was fatal, he could have gotten help in whatever other world he ended up. Let's hope so!_

_Con cariño,_

_Jade Chan_

Smiling pleased to herself, she sent the message. Now, on to send a message to Jackie and the others. She crackled her knuckles and let her fingers twitch and hover over the small keyboard. They began to tremble after a minute there, and she felt a drop of sweat roll down her temple.

They were _so_ going to kill her.

**The End**

* * *

This story is dedicated to **VampireNaomi**, who has been a wonderful friend and whose works, particularly _Ni Tang_, inspired me to write this story, as well as many others. Thank you so much!

Special thanks to **Contessa Lestrange**, who is also a great friend and introduced me to the world of fanfiction, and, of course, to **everyone who has reviewed this fic** and motivated me to continue writing.

Many thanks also to **everyone who has read the fic**, even if they never reviewed.

Wow, I can't believe it's over! I've been writing this story for, what, almost three years now! I can still remember when I was getting the first baby plot-bunnies for it; the plot was going to be completely different from all this (much worse, too). It was my very first fanfic and I'm aware of the numerous mistakes in it, but I'm still rather pleased with the way it turned out. I know some of you probably hate me now, but I did what I had to do. Please accept my apologies.

There will _probably_ be a sequel, but I really wish I could finish my other stories before starting yet another one. There is a very slim chance I'll post the first chapter some time in the near future, but only if I'm struck with large amounts of inspiration and have time to write it down. In other words, don't hold your breath...


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